Source: http://www.copfs.gov.uk/foi/responses-we-have-made-to-foi-requests/39-responses2015/1086-honour-based-violence-r010504
Timestamp: 2018-03-24 07:48:15
Document Index: 80587849

Matched Legal Cases: ['arts 1', 'art 1', 'art 2', 'art 1', 'art 2', 'arts 1']

Honour Based Violence (R010504)
Freedom of Information: Honour Based Violence (R010504)
Thank you for your request dated 3 June 2015 under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA) for the undernoted information:
“1. For the full year of 2014 (01/01/2014 - 31/12/2014) how many cases were prosecutions brought involving:
a)"honour" based violence?
d) any of the following; "honour" based violence, forced marriage and female genital mutilation?
2. For the full year of 2014 (01/01/2014 - 31/12/2014) how many cases resulted in a conviction which involved:
d)any of the following; "honour" based violence, forced marriage and female genital mutilation?
3. For the full year of 2014 (01/01/2014 - 31/12/2014) how many murder cases in which prosecutions were brought involved "honour" based violence?
4. For the full year of 2014 (01/01/2014 - 31/12/2014) how many murder cases in which there was a conviction involved "honour" based violence?”
As explained in our e-mail to you of 5 June 2015, we were unable to trace your e-mail to us of 19 March 2015.
We do endeavour to provide information whenever possible. However, in respect of parts 1(a), 2(a), 3 and 4 of your request in this instance the costs of locating, retrieving and providing the information requested would exceed the upper cost limit of £600. Under Section 12 of FOISA public authorities are not required to comply with a request for information if the authority estimates that the cost of complying would exceed the upper cost limit, which is currently set at £600 by Regulations made under Section 12.
The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service's case management database is a live, operating database. It is designed to meet our business needs in relation to the processing of criminal cases, and the information within it is structured accordingly. We do not have a separate database and hold only operational data needed for business purposes, i.e. to prepare court documentation; to send and receive electronic information regarding court appearances and results; to cite witnesses; to deal with issues relating to disclosure of information to the defence etc.
As there is no specific legislation which identifies “honour” based violence crimes it is not possible to carry out a search of our electronic databases for this information and therefore, in order to identify cases which relate to “honour” based violence, COPFS staff would be required to consider individually each report submitted to the Procurator Fiscal containing any allegation of violence to ascertain if any were “honour” based and the time taken to complete this task would exceed the upper cost limit.
In relation to Part 1(b) of your request, following a search of our electronic records, I have established that no offences under the Forced Marriage etc (Protection and Jurisdiction)(Scotland) Act 2011 have been reported to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) during the dates specified. Accordingly, there is no data to consider for part 2(b) of your request.
In relation to Part 1(c) of your request, following a search of our electronic records, I have established that no offences under the Prohibition of Female Genital Mutilation (Scotland) Act 2005 have been reported to COPFS during the dates specified. Accordingly, there is no data to consider for part 2(c) of your request.
In relation to Parts 1(d) and 2(d) of your request, I consider that these points have been dealt with in my response above.