Justice written question – answered at on 7 March 2011.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice
(1) what the average length of sentence handed down to a person convicted of an offence of breaching an injunction under the terms of Section 3 of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 in England and Wales was in each year since 1998;
(2) what the average length of sentence handed down to a person convicted of an offence of putting a person in fear of violence under the terms of Section 4 of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 in England and Wales was in each year since 1998.
The number of persons found guilty at all courts, sentenced, given immediate custody, and the average custodial sentence length for offences under section 3 and 4 of the Harassment Act 1997, England and Wales, 1998 to 2009 (latest available) is provided in the following table.
Data for 2010 are planned for publication in spring 2011.
Number of persons convicted at all courts under section 3 and 4 of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997( 1) , sentence breakdown and average custodial sentence length, England and Wales, 1998 to 2009( 2, 3) | ||||||||||||
Offence | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008( 4) | 2009 |
Section 3 | ||||||||||||
Found guilty | 14 | 13 | 22 | 14 | 23 | 22 | 18 | 14 | 15 | 25 | 47 | 27 |
Sentenced | 14 | 15 | 21 | 18 | 26 | 24 | 19 | 15 | 13 | 24 | 45 | 27 |
Of which: | ||||||||||||
Other disposals | 9 | 9 | 15 | 15 | 23 | 21 | 13 | 6 | 7 | 20 | 36 | 23 |
Immediate custody | 5 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 9 | 4 |
Average custodial sentence length (months)(5) | 4.3 | 8.3 | 4.2 | 5.7 | 3.7 | 3.0 | 2.8 | 6.7 | 3.2 | 1.5 | 3.2 | 3.1 |
Section 4 | ||||||||||||
Found guilty | 522 | 513 | 574 | 590 | 639 | 674 | 717 | 806 | 875 | 814 | 839 | 786 |
Sentenced | 514 | 519 | 580 | 594 | 635 | 674 | 725 | 805 | 876 | 818 | 820 | 779 |
Of which: | ||||||||||||
Other disposals | 393 | 397 | 410 | 436 | 453 | 548 | 591 | 648 | 716 | 678 | 650 | 609 |
Immediate custody | 121 | 122 | 170 | 158 | 182 | 126 | 134 | 157 | 160 | 140 | 170 | 170 |
Average custodial sentence length (months)(5) | 9.2 | 7.9 | 8.2 | 9.5 | 9.4 | 7.8 | 8.5 | 8.3 | 8.1 | 8.8 | 9.1 | 6.7 |
(1) The following statutes were used for the corresponding offence: Section 3 Breach of the conditions of an injunction against harassment Protection from Harassment Act 1997 Section 4 Putting people in fear of violence Protection from Harassment Act 1997, S.4 Religiously aggravated putting people in fear of violence Protection from Harassment Act 1997, S.4, as amended by Crime and Disorder Act 1996 S.32(1)(b) and (4) Racially or religiously aggravated putting people in fear of violence Protection from Harassment Act 1997, S.4, as amended by Crime and Disorder Act 1998 S.32(1)(b) and (4) Racially aggravated putting people in fear of violence Protection from Harassment Act 1997, S.4, as amended by Crime and Disorder Act 1998 S.32(1)(b) and (4). (2) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences, it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, It is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (4) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008. (5) Excludes life and indeterminate sentences. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services: Ministry of Justice. |
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