There were more rape and murder cases waiting to be dealt with in the Central Criminal Court when it resumed after the summer than had been concluded in the whole of the previous year.
According to figures compiled by the court registrar, 170 rape cases and 53 murder cases were outstanding on August 14th. Of these, 47 were awaiting sentencing. In the legal year ending July 31st the court dealt with 103 cases involving rape and 30 murder cases.
These figures are broadly similar to last year's. For the past two calendar years the number of rape cases has stood at 130. For the seven months up to July the number was 69. In 1997 there were 72 rape cases, and in 1996 the figure was 45. A single defendant was often charged with a number of these offences.
The number of murder trials in this court has also risen, but at a much slower pace. Apart from 1993 and 1994, when there were 17 and 12 respectively, the cases have numbered between 23 and 33 since 1992. There have been 24 murder trials so far this year.
The figures show different outcomes in the two types of case, with those accused of rape standing a much better chance of acquittal by a jury than those accused of murder. However, most rape cases result in a guilty plea.
In most murder cases the accused pleads not guilty and the case goes to a full jury trial. In the vast majority of cases the jury finds the defendant guilty.
During the last legal year, ending in July, only six people pleaded guilty, sometimes to the lesser charge of manslaughter. Some 24 trials went ahead, of which 21 resulted in a guilty verdict, with only three acquittals.
In rape cases, however, more than half of those accused plead guilty. In a few of these cases the plea emerges after the trial has started. It is usual for the accused to have a portion of his sentence suspended in return for the guilty plea. Fifty-three of those charged in the last legal year pleaded guilty.
But when the accused pleaded not guilty and the trial went ahead before a jury, the defendant had a better than even chance of an acquittal. Of the 47 trials which went ahead, 26 ended in either a not guilty verdict or a nolle prosequi, where the prosecution did not proceed.
Only 21 people were convicted by a jury. The balance of the 103 cases is made up of cases where no order was made or a warrant to arrest was issued.
Sentences for rape and sexual assault range from six months for sexual assault, suspended on entering a bond to keep the peace, up to 10 years for rape or aggravated sexual assault. Sentences of between five and 10 years are common, with the final year suspended if there is a guilty plea.