Homicide: Reoffenders

Ministry of Justice written question – answered on 24 November 2015.

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Photo of Lord Tebbit Lord Tebbit Conservative

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many offenders with previous convictions for homicide were convicted of homicide in 2014.

Photo of Lord Faulks Lord Faulks The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice

A life sentence is mandatory on conviction for murder and a whole life order starting point applies to a murder by an offender previously convicted of murder.

The table shows the number of offenders with previous convictions for homicide by offenders convicted of homicide in 2014.

Table: Number of previous convictions for homicide2 by people convicted of homicide1 in each year from 2009 to 2014

Number of offenders with a previous conviction(s) for homicide

Year

2009

3

2010

9

2011

14

2012

8

2013

9

2014

5

Source: Police National Computer (PNC)

1. All offender figures are based on counting the number of sentencing occasions for an homicide offence committed by offenders who were prosecuted by police forces in England and Wales including the British Transport Police. Offenders who have been convicted on more than one occasion during the year and across the years will be represented in the table several times.

2. All previous conviction figures are based on counting the number of convictions on which offenders have previously been convicted for a homicide offence recorded on the Police National Computer, including some offences committed outside of England and Wales.

  1. Homicide is defined by the following crimes and may include different crimes to other published data:
  • Common Law Murder of persons aged 1 year or over.
  • Common Law Murder of infants under 1 year of age.
  • 'Common Law.' & 'Offences against the Person Act 1861' S.5;9;10. Manslaughter
  • Infanticide Act 1938. Infanticide
  • Infant Life Preservation Act 1929. Child destruction
  • Road Traffic Act 1988 Sec.1 ( 1 ). As amended by the Road Traffic Act 1991 S.1 & CJA 1993 S.67 Causing death by dangerous driving.
  • Homicide Act 1957, Sec.2. Manslaughter, Diminished Responsibility.
  • Road Traffic Act 1988 Sect3 A. as added by the RTA 1991 S.3 & amended by CJA 1993 S.67. Causing death by careless driving when under the influence of drink or drugs
  • Cause/allow death of a child or vulnerable person. Domestic Violence, Crime & Victims Act 2004 S.5
  • Causing death by careless or inconsiderate driving; Road Traffic Act 1988 S.2B as added by Road Safety Act S.20
  • Causing death by driving: unlicensed, disqualified or uninsured drivers; Road Traffic Act 1988 S.3ZB as added by Road Safety Act S.21
  • Corporate manslaughter / homicide
  • Theft Act 1968 S.12A as added by the Aggravated Vehicle Taking Act 1992 S.1 - Aggravated taking where owing to the driving of the vehicle an accident occurs causing the death of any person

Homicide includes among others, the offences of murder, manslaughter, infanticide, corporate manslaughter and causing death by dangerous or careless driving. See footnote 3 for all types of homicides.

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