Slavery: Prosecutions
(asked on 9th February 2016) - View Source
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people have been charged under section 71 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 in each of the past three years.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not maintain a central record of the number of people who have been charged under section 71 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009. This information could only be obtained by examining CPS case files, which would incur a disproportionate cost.
Although it is not possible to identify the number of people charged with a particular offence, records are held showing the overall number of offences in which a prosecution commenced at magistrates’ courts. The table below shows the number of offences, rather than defendants, charged under section 71 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 for the last three financial years:
| 2012-13 | 2013-14 | 2014-15 | |
Coroners and Justice Act 2009 {71(1)(b) & (3)} | Knowingly hold another person in slavery/solitude | 20 | 3 | 28 |
Coroners and Justice Act 2009 {71(1)(b) & (3)} | Knowingly require another person to perform forced/compulsory labour | 0 | 15 | 3 |
Note: A single defendant may be prosecuted for multiple offences.