Skip to main content

Question for Ministry of Justice

UIN HL7575, tabled on 12 April 2016

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people were sentenced for failure to answer to bail in each of the last five years; and what was the average (1) fine, and (2) custodial sentence imposed, for such offences in each of the last five years.

Answered on

12 May 2016

The number of persons sentenced for failing to surrender to bail, with average fine and custodial length, in England and Wales, from 2010 to 2014 (the latest available) can be viewed in the table.

Court proceedings data for 2015 will be published in due course.

Persons sentenced at all courts, with average fine and custodial length, for the offence of failing to surrender to bail(1), England & Wales, 2010 to 2014(2)(3)

Outcome

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

Sentenced

18,593

16,700

13,263

11,284

9,479

Average fine (£)

62.95

63.61

67.41

70.30

70.86

Average custodial sentence length (months)(4)

0.8

0.8

0.8

0.8

0.8

(1) An offence under Section 6 Bail Act 1976

(2) The figures given in the table 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 life and indeterminate sentences.

Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services - Ministry of Justice.

Ref: PQ HL7575