PROSECUTIONS
Annual report OUR FRONTLINE WORK
2014
50
Table 10
2014 2013 2012
Cases reported to RSPCA
prosecutions department 10.1 157 199 174
Suspects reported to RSPCA
prosecutions department
245 318 288
Defendants convicted
(juvenile offenders)
47(1) 79(1) 91 (1)
Convictions secured
in the magistrates' courts
116 297 248
Convictions following guilty pleas 73 205 184
Convictions following not guilty
pleas and trials
43 92 64
Defendants with proceedings wholly
discontinued or withdrawn by RSPCA prior
to or at trial 10.2
6 5 3
Defendants with all offences
dismissed after trial
0 0 2
of which
Defendants dismissed -
no case to answer 10.3 0 0 0
Prosecution success rate at court hearings 10.4
100% 100% 97.8%
Prosecution success rate 10.5
88.6% 94% 94.7%
Offenders cautioned 10.6
74 91 61
Offences for which cautioned 10.6
92 122 72
Suspects reported not cautioned or
prosecuted because evidential and/or public
interest tests not met
127 157 122
10.1 A case may concern one or multiple suspects.
10.2 Consideration of the evidence and the public interest may lead to proceedings being discontinued
or withdrawn at any time before a trial. Discontinuance usually occurs in advance of a hearing, withdrawal
usually at court.
10.3 Cases in which the defendant pleads not guilty and the prosecution evidence is heard but proceedings
are dismissed by the magistrates without hearing the defence case.
10.4 Total defendants convicted as a percentage of defendants whose cases were concluded at court,
excluding defendants with proceedings wholly discontinued or withdrawn by the RSPCA.
10.5 Total defendants convicted as a percentage of all defendants.
10.6 Formal non-statutory caution - offence has been committed but not in the public interest to prosecute.
The 'Further explanatory notes' on page 48 also apply to the statistics on this page.
Wales prosecution statistics
50