Written question asked by Sarah Champion (Labour) on Tuesday, 26 February 2019, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 28 February 2019. It was answered by Robert Buckland (Conservative) on Tuesday, 5 March 2019 on behalf of the Attorney General.

Offences against Children: Plea Bargaining

Question: To ask the Attorney General, how many plea bargains were (a) offered to and (b) accepted by defendants prosecuted under sections 5-9, section 16 and section 25 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 in 2017.

Answer: Prosecutors do not offer “plea bargains” to defendants and therefore no statistics are recorded. The general principles to be followed by prosecutors in considering accepting pleas offered by the defence to alternative or fewer offences are set out in the Code for Crown Prosecutors 2018 and the Attorney General’s Guidelines on the Acceptance of Pleas 2012. Prosecutors should only accept the defendant’s plea if they think the court is able to pass a sentence that matches the seriousness of the offending.

Secondary information