To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement about the number of prosecutions during the last 10 years for offences relating to illegal approaches to trial judges; and what plans the Government have to provide for stiffer sentences to deal with such offences.
It is not possible from the information held centrally to identify offences relating to illegal approaches to trial judges from other common law offences of attempting to pervert the course of public justice.The table shows the number of prosecutions in England and Wales from 1981 to 1991 for attempting to pervert the course of public justice. 1992 data will not be available until autumn 1993.
Number of prosecutions at magistrates' courts for the offence of attempting to pervert the course of public justice1 under common law for the years 1981–1991 England and Wales
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Prosecutions
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| 1981 | 290 |
| 1982 | 279 |
| 1983 | 333 |
| 1984 | 308 |
| 1985 | 326 |
| 1986 | 386 |
| 1987 | 652 |
| 1988 | 864 |
| 1989 | 1,139 |
| 1990 | 1,376 |
| 1991 | 1,565 |
1 Under common law the offence of attempting to pervert the course of public justice includes fabrication of false evidence, causing a person to be wrongly convicted, interference with witness, etc. | |