Skip to main content

Rape Trial Defendants

Volume 450: debated on Thursday 26 October 2006

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many defendants in rape trials were (a) acquitted and (b) convicted in each year since 1997, broken down by the (i) sex and (ii) age of the alleged victim. (88502)

I have been asked to reply.

The information requested is provided in the following table.

Number of defendants found guilty and acquitted1 at all courts for rape offences, for which the age of the victim is specified in the offence description, England and Wales 1997-20042,3

Number acquitted

Found guilty

Female rape offences

Rape of a female child under 13 by a male 4

2004

7

5

Rape of a female aged under 16

1997

235

198

1998

335

221

1999

342

247

2000

335

206

2001

259

178

2002

149

217

2003

346

254

2004

316

275

Rape of a female aged 16 or over

1997

522

286

1998

628

323

1999

589

268

2000

546

277

2001

533

272

2002

261

291

2003

617

294

2004

600

325

Male rape offences

Rape of a male child under 13 by a male4

2004

1

1

Rape of a male aged under 16

1997

20

24

1998

25

15

1999

38

37

2000

34

24

2001

20

26

2002

13

31

2003

21

29

2004

34

28

Rape of a male aged 16 or over

1997

15

9

1998

14

12

1999

24

9

2000

21

12

2001

19

18

2002

11

9

2003

17

6

2004

6

10

1 Includes defendants discharged and dismissed at magistrates courts and ‘not tried’ and acquitted at crown courts.

2 These data are provided on the principal offence basis.

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 police forces and courts. 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 Offences came into effect in 2004 when the sexual Offences act 2003 came into force.