Criminal Court Statistics Quarterly: October to December 2015
Source: data.gov.uk (2018-05-25)

Criminal Court Statistics. This publication provides aggregated data on workload, effectiveness and timeliness in magistrates courts and the Crown Court. It is designed to provide a summary overview of the volume and types of cases dealt with by courts over time. The data available includes receipts, disposals and outstanding cases by case type, effective, ineffective and cracked trials, plea information, waiting times, hearing times and duration of cases from offence to completion by case type and offence. It is produced on a quarterly basis with extra information included in the June annual publication, such as unrepresented defendants, juror sitting days and election of the defendant.

Criminal court statistics 
quarterly, England and Wales 
 
October to December 2015 
 
Ministry of Justice 
Statistics bulletin 
 
 
Published 31 March 2016 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
Contents  
Contents 
1 
Introduction 
2 
Changes and revisions in this publication 
4 
Key Findings 
5 
Criminal Courts 
6 
1. 
Criminal cases in the magistrates’ courts 
6 
2. 
Criminal cases in the Crown Court 
7 
3. 
Timeliness 
10 
Annex A: Enforcement of financial impositions   
 
 
  12  
Annex B: List of Accompanying Tables and CSV 
15 
Annex C: Explanatory notes 
17 
Previous editions 
18 
Contacts 
18 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
Introduction 
 
The statistical bulletin 
 
This is the sixth edition of the statistical bulletin, Criminal court statistics quarterly 
(CCSQ) presenting statistics relating to activity in criminal cases in the magistrates’ 
courts and the Crown Court in England and Wales. These statistics were previously 
published within Court Statistics Quarterly which, after consultation, has been split into 
separate policy focused publications. 
The publication provides provisional figures for the latest quarter (October to 
December 2015) with accompanying commentary and analysis. The figures 
themselves give a summary overview of the volume of cases dealt with by these courts 
over time. The statistics are used to monitor court workloads, to assist in the 
development of policy, and their subsequent monitoring and evaluation.  
Information on the enforcement of financial impositions can be found in Annex A. 
Figures on the criminal courts charge, which was introduced on 13 April 2015 and 
ceased on 24 December 2015, are separately identified within the publication. The 
annex provides updated management information on the collection of financial 
imposition through Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS).  
 
Criminal Courts; an overview 
 
Magistrates’ courts  
 
Virtually all criminal court cases start in the magistrates’ courts. The less serious 
offences are handled entirely in magistrates’ courts, with over 90% of all cases being 
dealt with in this way. The more serious offences are passed on to the Crown Court, 
either for sentencing after the defendant has been found guilty in the magistrates’ 
court, or for trial with a judge and jury. 
 
As part of wider measures in the justice system, committal hearings were abolished 
nationally1 at the end of May 2013. As a result of the change, triable-either-way cases 
can now be sent straight to the Crown Court as soon as it is clear the matter is serious 
enough, rather than having to await a committal hearing.  
The Crown Court  
 
The Crown Court deals with cases received from the magistrates’ courts for 
sentencing, trial or appeal against magistrates’ courts’ decision. 
Of those proceeded against in the magistrates’ courts, 6% of defendants are sent to 
the Crown Court for trial. 
                                            
1 www.gov.uk/government/news/faster-justice-as-unneccessary-committal-hearings-are-abolished 

 
 
Triable-either-way cases can be sent to the Crown Court for trial if the magistrates’ 
courts decide the matter is serious enough or if a defendant elects to be tried by judge 
and jury.  
Indictable only cases can only be tried on indictment in the Crown Court as they cannot 
be heard summarily at the magistrates’ courts.  
Committed for sentence cases are transferred to the Crown Court for sentencing only 
after a defendant has been convicted in a magistrates’ court. This would occur where 
a magistrate believes that their sentencing powers are insufficient to apply an 
appropriate sanction to the defendant. 
 
In its appellate jurisdiction the Crown Court deals mainly with appeals against 
conviction and/or sentence in respect of criminal offences, including consequential 
orders, e.g. disqualification from driving, and against the making of certain standalone 
orders, e.g. Anti-Social Behaviour Orders. The Crown Court may dismiss or allow the 
appeal and vary all or any part of the sentence. Appeals are usually heard by a Circuit 
Judge sitting with no more than four lay magistrates (normally two). 
 
Average waiting time at the Crown Court 
 
‘Average waiting time’ is the time between sending a case to the Crown Court and the 
start of the substantive hearing. 
 
Average hearing time at the Crown Court 
 
 
The ‘average hearing time’ relates to the average duration of all hearings heard in the 
Crown Court, including preliminary hearings, main hearings, and hearings where a 
sentence is given to a defendant. 
 
Data and court processes 
 
Information about the systems and data included in this publication can be found in 
the ‘A guide to criminal court statistics’ which is published alongside this report. It 
also includes a glossary which provides brief definitions for the terms used in this 
report. 
 
www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-guide-to-criminal-court-statistics 

 
 
Changes and revisions in this publication  
End of Criminal Court Charge implementation - changes within enforcement 
tables (Annex A) 
 
Following the announcement by the Secretary of State for Justice on 3 December, the 
criminal courts charge, which came into force on 13 April 2015, ceased to exist on 24 
December 2015. Impositions made in this time period are reported, and payment 
information will continue to be recorded. 
 
Revisions to Crown Court tables 
 
Following an exercise in looking at the underlying administrative data, methodological 
improvements have been made to the data, such as ensuring all duplicate records 
have been removed.  There have therefore been small revisions to Crown Court tables 
C1 and C5-C12 from Q1 2014, affecting less than 0.5% of cases in a quarter. 
 
 
 

 
 
 
Key Findings 
This report presents statistics relating to activity in criminal cases in the magistrates’ 
courts and the Crown Court in England and Wales in the fourth quarter of 2015 
(October to December). 
 
 Outstanding cases in magistrates’ courts have increased by 3% since Q3 2015, 
and are back to similar levels as Q4 2014. This increase in outstanding cases 
reflects the increase in receipts and decrease in disposals at Q4 2015. 
 
 Outstanding cases in the Crown Court have been falling over the last year with a 
9% decrease in the number of outstanding cases between Q4 2014 and Q4 2015. 
This decline reflects the number of disposals being greater than the number of 
receipts for the last 4 quarters.  
 
 For Crown Court cases, the mean time from first listing at the magistrates’ court to 
receipt by the Crown Court fell substantially, from 22 days in Q2 2013 to 6 days in 
Q4 2015. This figure has been fairly stable since late 2014. 
 
 Time from receipt by the Crown Court to main hearing and, also, main hearing to 
completion have increased across the last two years. This has resulted in the 
number of days from first listing to completion increasing from 164 to 204 days 
between Q2 2013 and Q2 2015, although more recently there was a decrease to 
195 days at Q4 2015.  
 
 Across a two-year period, the waiting times for triable-either-way cases and 
indictable only cases have increased overall by 6 weeks and 4.2 weeks 
respectively. Waiting times have remained fairly steady in non-trial cases. 
 
 
 

 
 
Criminal Courts  
At the end of the fourth quarter of 2015, there were around 240 magistrates’ courts 
and approximately 80 Crown Court locations across England and Wales.  
 
1. Criminal cases in the magistrates’ courts 
 
Figure 1 below shows the magistrates’ courts caseload for England and Wales.  
 
Figure 1: Magistrates’ courts caseload, Q2 2012 to Q4 2015  
Receipts in the magistrates’ courts (figure 1)  
 
Following a rise in receipts in the magistrates’ courts between Q3 2013 and Q1 2014, 
receipts remained stable up to early 2015. Following a decrease of 4% between Q1 
2015 and Q2 2015, receipts have increased over the last two quarters and, at Q4 
2015, were just under the Q1 2015 level (402,000). 
  
Disposals (figure 1)  
 
Disposals have fluctuated since 2013, but trends indicate a slight rise overall since Q4 
2013 when disposal levels were at their lowest. Most recently, disposals fell by 3% 
between Q3 2015 and Q4 2015 to 391,000.  
 
Outstanding cases (figure 1)  
 
The number of outstanding cases rose in late 2013 and into 2015, with an overall 
increase of 15% between Q3 2013 and Q4 2015. Despite a dip in outstanding cases 
earlier in 2015, there was a 3% increase between Q3 2015 and Q4 2015. This reflects 
0
50,000
100,000
150,000
200,000
250,000
300,000
350,000
400,000
450,000
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
2012
2013
2014
2015
Number of cases
Receipts
Disposals
Outstanding

 
 
the increase in receipts and decrease in disposals in the latest quarter, with 
outstanding cases standing at 325,000 in Q4 2015. 
2. Criminal cases in the Crown Court 
 
Figure 2 below shows the Crown Court caseload for England and Wales. 
 
Figure 2: Crown Court caseload, Q1 2010 to Q4 2015  
 
 
Receipts in the Crown Court (figure 2) 
 
Following a peak in the number of cases received by the Crown Court in Q3 2013, 
there has been a downward trend in the overall number of receipts in the subsequent 
time periods until Q2 2015. They have remained fairly stable since then, at around 
32,000 cases into Q4 2015, a decrease of 13% since the peak at Q3 2013.  
 
Receipts by case type (figure 3) 
 
Triable-either-way cases increased throughout 2013, steadied in early 2014 and then 
decreased by 11% between Q3 2014 and Q2 2015. Figures have since remained 
stable, but were still higher in Q4 2015 compared to early 2013. 
Despite a slight rise in Q4 2015, there have been overall downward trends in receipts 
for indictable only cases over the last couple of years, representing a decrease of 15% 
between Q4 2013 and Q4 2015. Cases committed for sentence meanwhile decreased 
by 6% over the same period. Appeals have remained fairly stable since 2013. 
 
 
 
 
0
10,000
20,000
30,000
40,000
50,000
60,000
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
Number of cases
Receipts
Disposals
Outstanding

 
 
 
Figure 3: Crown Court receipts by case type, Q1 2010 to Q4 2015  
 
 
Disposals in the Crown Court (figure 2) 
 
Disposals remained fairly steady in late 2012 and 2013 before increasing across 2014 
until the peak in early 2015. Following a small decrease, disposals have risen again 
at Q4 2015, although they are still 4% lower than at Q1 2015. 
 
 
Figure 4: Crown Court disposals by case type, Q1 2010 to Q4 2015  
0
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
14,000
16,000
18,000
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
Number of receipts
For trial (Triable-either-way)
For trial (Indictable Only)
Committed for sentence
Appeals against mags' decisions
0
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
14,000
16,000
18,000
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
Number of Disposals
For trial (Triable-either-way)
For trial (Indictable Only)
Committed for sentence
Appeals against mags' decisions

 
 
 
Disposals by case type (figure 4) 
 
Disposals of triable-either-way cases have increased overall by 17% since Q4 2013. 
Although there has been an overall decrease from Q1 2015 of 5%, there was a small 
increase of 2% in the latest quarter. Indictable only disposals decreased by 6% since 
Q1 2015, but showed a 3% increase between Q3 2015 and Q4 2015. 
 
Outstanding cases in the Crown Court (figure 2) 
 
There were around 50,000 outstanding cases in the Crown Court in Q4 2015, a 
decrease of 9% from Q4 2014. This decline reflects the number of disposals being 
higher than receipts over the last four quarters.  
 
Outstanding cases by case type (figure 5) 
 
The trend in triable-either-way outstanding cases has followed a similar pattern to the 
overall number of outstanding cases, with a substantial increase between Q1 2013 
and Q4 2014 followed by a declining trend thereafter. Overall this represents an 
increase of 57% since the first quarter of 2013, but a decrease of 11% since Q4 2014. 
Outstanding indictable only cases also increased after Q1 2013 but declined by 8% 
from Q4 2014.  
 
Figure 5: Crown Court outstanding cases by type, Q1 2010 to Q4 2015   
 
 
 
0
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
25,000
30,000
35,000
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
Number of outstanding cases
For trial (Triable-either-way)
For trial (Indictable Only)
Committed for sentence
Appeals against mags' decisions

 
 
3. Timeliness 
 
Offence to completion in the magistrates’ courts 
 
For cases dealt with entirely in the magistrates’ courts, the number of days from 
offence to completion remained at 158 days between Q3 and Q4 2015. Overall, this 
figure has increased by 5% since Q4 2014, and 10% since Q4 2013. 
 
Crown Court criminal cases - First listing in the magistrates’ courts to 
completion in the Crown Court (figure 6) 
 
For cases committed for trial at the Crown Court, the mean time from first listing at the 
magistrates’ court to receipt by the Crown Court has fallen overall, from 22 days in Q2 
2013 to 6 days in Q4 2015. This figure has been fairly stable since late 2014. 
 
However, time from receipt by the Crown Court to main hearing and main hearing to 
completion has increased overall across the last two years. This has resulted in the 
number of days from first listing to completion increasing from 164 to 204 days 
between Q2 2013 and Q2 2015, followed by a small decrease to 195 days at Q3 2015 
and Q4 2015.  
 
Figure 6: Average number of days (mean) from first listing in the magistrates’ courts to 
completion in the Crown Court, for Crown Court criminal cases, Q2 2010 to Q4 2015  
 
Average waiting times at the Crown Court (figure 7) 
 
Average waiting times have continuously increased for all trial cases between Q4 2013 
and Q4 2015, although indictable only cases have stabilised since Q2 2015. Across a 
two-year period, triable-either-way cases and indictable only cases have increased 
overall by 6 weeks and 4.2 weeks respectively. Waiting times have remained fairly 
steady in non-trial cases. 
 
0
50
100
150
200
250
Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
Average number of days (mean)
First listing at MC to receipt in CC
Receipt by CC to main hearing
Main hearing to completion at CC

 
 
Figure 7: Average waiting time (weeks) at the Crown Court, Q1 2010 to Q4 2015 
 
 Average hearing times at the Crown Court (figure 8) 
 
Since Q1 2011 the trend in average hearing times for not guilty plea trials has slowly 
increased. Since Q1 2014, the levels of hearing times have fluctuated on a quarterly 
basis. At Q4 2015, the average hearing time for trials involving a not guilty plea was 
15.2 hours compared to 12.7 at Q1 2014. For guilty plea trials they have remained 
steady.  
 
 
Figure 8: Average hearing time (hours) at the Crown Court, Q1 2010 to Q4 2015 
0
3
6
9
12
15
18
21
24
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
For trial (Triable-either-way)
For trial (Indictable Only)
Committed for sentence
Appeal
Average waiting time (weeks) 
Average hearing time (hours) 
0
3
6
9
12
15
18
21
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
Not Guilty plea trials
Guilty plea trials

 
 
Annex A: Enforcement of financial impositions 
The following section provides updated management information on the collection of 
financial impositions through Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS). 
Figures on criminal courts charge are shown separately in this bulletin but following the 
announcement by the Secretary of State for Justice on 3 December this charge ceased to 
exist on 24 December 2015. Impositions made in this time period are reported, and 
payment information will continue to be recorded. 
Financial impositions are ordered by the criminal courts for payment by offenders at 
sentencing and include financial penalties such as fines, prosecutors’ costs, 
compensation orders and victim surcharge. Financial penalties are the most commonly 
used sentence and form a significant part of HMCTS’ collection and enforcement 
business. Accounting centres also enforce penalty notices for disorder and fixed penalty 
notices registered as fines for enforcement. The financial imposition statistics presented 
here do not include confiscation orders. Figure 9 shows the financial impositions for each 
quarter split by imposition type.  
 
Figure 9: HMCTS management information: Financial impositions by imposition type, England 
and Wales, Q2 2011 – Q4 2015  
 
 
 
 
Financial impositions and amounts paid (Table A1)  
Financial penalties can be imposed by the magistrates’ courts and the Crown Court; 
however they are all collected and enforced by the HMCTS National Compliance and 
Enforcement Service.  
 
In Q4 2015, £176 million of impositions were imposed (table A2). The total value of 
financial penalties paid, regardless of the age of the imposition, was £96 million; a 23% 
increase when compared with the same quarter in 2014 and a 12% increase since Q1 
2015.  
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
200
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
Financial impositions in period (£ millions)
CCC
Other
Costs
Fines
victim surcharge
compensation

 
 
Financial impositions and amounts paid by imposition type (Table A2)  
The total value of impositions in Q4 2015 (£176 million) increased by 19% when compared 
to Q3 2015. This is mainly due to the implementation of the criminal courts charge 
introduced in April 2015. In Q4 2015, 10% (£17 million) of all financial impositions imposed 
by the criminal courts were paid within the imposition month.  
In Q2 2015, the first quarter showing the criminal courts charge, £5.7 million was imposed 
for this charge, compared to £40.9 million in Q4 2015.  
Financial impositions (£ million) for victim surcharge (Table A2)  
Victim surcharge is an additional surcharge which is added to the fines that are imposed. 
The receipts obtained from the collection of these monies by HMCTS are passed to the 
Justice Policy Group of the MoJ to fund victims’ services. The amount imposed has been 
increasing since its scope and amounts payable were extended in October 2012. The 
increases seen have slowed and stabilised at this higher level from Q1 2015. While the 
amount imposed has remained high the proportion of impositions collected within the 
imposition month was 12% in Q4 2014 decreasing to 11% in Q4 2015.  
 
Figure 10: Financial impositions (£ million) for victim surcharge, Q2 2011 to Q4 2015  
 
 
 
 
Financial imposition accounts opened and closed (Table A3)  
An account is opened when a financial penalty is ordered in court and is closed when the 
imposition against the account has been paid or the imposition ceases. Where a defendant 
has more than one financial penalty and/or account, these can be consolidated into one 
account. There were 314,118 accounts opened in Q4 2015, a decrease of 1% when 
compared to the same period in the previous year. Of the accounts opened in Q4 2015, 
9% (26,766) were closed within the imposition month.  
 
Each year there are a number of financial penalties that are cancelled, either 
administratively or legally. Legal cancellations can be applied after the case has been 
reconsidered by a judge or a magistrate and may follow a change in circumstances. 
0%
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
12%
14%
16%
18%
0.0
2.0
4.0
6.0
8.0
10.0
12.0
Q2 Q3
Q4 Q1 Q2
Q3 Q4
Q1 Q2
Q3 Q4 Q1
Q2 Q3
Q4 Q1
Q2 Q3
Q4
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
Within imposition month (%)
Financial impositions in period (£ millions)
Imposed (£ millions)
Paid within 1 month of imposition (%)

 
 
Administrative cancellations are only applied in accordance with a strict write off policy, 
e.g. where the defendant has not been traced; these can then be re-instated if the 
defendant is then traced.  
 
 
Outstanding financial impositions (Table A4)  
The amount outstanding is irrespective of the age of the imposition or the payment terms, 
and excludes all impositions already paid as well as both legal and administrative 
cancellations. Payment terms may include arrangements for offenders to pay amounts 
owed over a period of time.  
 
In Q4 2015, the total value of financial impositions outstanding in England and Wales was 
£676 million. Although they had been decreasing from April 2011 they have been 
increasing since Q1 2014, and show an increase of 20% since Q4 2014.   
 
 
 

 
 
Annex B: List of Accompanying Tables and CSV  
Accompanying this publication are the following tables: 
Table M1 
Receipts, disposals and outstanding criminal cases in the magistrates' courts 
in England and Wales, annually 2012 - 2015, quarterly Q2 2012 – Q4 2015 
Table M2 
Effectiveness of magistrates' courts' trials in England and Wales, annually 
2003 - 2015, quarterly Q1 2010 – Q4 2015 
Table M3 
Key reasons for ineffective magistrates' courts' trials in England and Wales, 
annually 2006 - 2015, quarterly Q1 2010 – Q4 2015 
Table M4 
Key reasons for cracked magistrates' courts' trials in England and Wales, 
annually 2010 - 2015, quarterly Q1 2010 – Q4 2015 
Table C1 
Receipts, disposals and outstanding cases in the Crown Court in England and 
Wales, annually 2000 - 2015, quarterly Q1 2010 – Q4 2015 
Table C2 
Effectiveness of Crown Court trials in England and Wales, annually 2007 - 
2015, quarterly Q1 2010 – Q4 2015 
Table C3 
Key reasons for ineffective Crown Court trials in England and Wales, annually 
2007 - 2015, quarterly Q1 2010 – Q4 2015 
Table C4 
Key reasons for cracked Crown Court trials in England and Wales, annually 
2007 - 2015, quarterly Q1 2010 – Q4 2015 
Table C5 
Defendants dealt with in trial cases in the Crown Court by plea in England 
and Wales, annually 2001 - 2015, quarterly Q1 2010 – Q4 2015 
Table C6 
Defendants dealt with in trial cases by stage at which guilty plea was entered 
and accepted in the Crown Court, by receipt type, England and Wales, 
annually 2010 - 2015, quarterly Q1 2010 – Q4 2015 
Table C7 
Defendants dealt with in trial cases where a guilty plea was entered before a 
trial, during trial or at a cracked trial, and accepted in the Crown Court, by 
receipt type, England and Wales, annually 2010 - 2015, quarterly Q1 2010 – 
Q4 2015 
Table C8 
Average waiting times in the Crown Court in England and Wales, annually 
2000 - 2015, quarterly Q1 2010 – Q4 2015 
Table C9 
Average waiting times (weeks) in the Crown Court for defendants dealt with in 
trial cases, by plea and remand type, England and Wales, annually 2007 - 
2015, quarterly Q1 2010 – Q4 2015 
Table C10 
Average hearing and waiting times for trial cases in the Crown Court by plea 
in England and Wales, annually 2000 - 2015, quarterly Q1 2010 – Q4 2015 
Table C11 
Average hearing times (hours) in the Crown Court for cases disposed of, by 
case type and plea, England and Wales, annually 2007 - 2015, quarterly Q1 
2010 – Q4 2015 

 
 
Table C12 
Appeals (against decisions of magistrates' courts) dealt with in the Crown 
Court, by appeal type and result, England and Wales, annually 2007 - 2015, 
quarterly Q1 2010 – Q4 2015 
Table T1 
Average number of days from offence to completion, percentage of 
proceedings completed at first listing and average number of hearings for 
criminal cases at the magistrates' courts by initial plea, England and Wales, 
annually 2010 - 2015, quarterly Q2 2010 – Q4 2015 
Table T2 
Average number of days taken from offence to completion for all criminal 
cases at the magistrates' courts in England and Wales, annually 2010 - 2015, 
quarterly Q2 2010 – Q4 2015 
Table T3 
Average number of days taken from offence to completion for all summary 
cases at the magistrates' courts in England and Wales, annually 2010 - 2015, 
quarterly Q2 2010 – Q4 2015 
Table T4 
Average number of days taken from offence to completion for Crown Court 
criminal cases in England and Wales, annually 2010 - 2015, quarterly Q2 
2010 – Q4 2015 
Table T5 
Average number of days taken from offence to completion for criminal cases 
in England and Wales, annually 2010 - 2015, quarterly Q2 2010 – Q4 2015 
Table T6 
Average number of days taken from offence to completion for all criminal 
cases by offence group, in England and Wales, Q4 2014 and Q4 2015 
Table A1 
Enforcement of financial penalties in the magistrates' courts, England and 
Wales, annually 2004 - 2015, quarterly Q1 2010 – Q4 2015 
Table A2 
HMCTS management information: Financial impositions and amounts paid by 
imposition type, England and Wales, annual 2011 - 2015, quarterly Q2 2011 – 
Q4 2015 
Table A3 
HMCTS management information: Number of financial imposition accounts 
opened and closed, annually 2011 - 2015, quarterly Q2 2011 – Q4 2015 
Table A4 
HMCTS management information: Total amount of financial impositions 
outstanding, annually 2011 - 2015, quarterly Q2 2011 – Q4 2015 
 
There are also a number of csv files that support this publication, these include: 
 National and court level workload activity and case progression data 
 National and court level timeliness data 
 
 

 
 
Annex C: Explanatory notes  
The United Kingdom Statistics Authority has designated these statistics as National 
Statistics, in accordance with the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 and 
signifying compliance with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics. Designation can 
be broadly interpreted to mean that the statistics: 
 meet identified user needs; 
 are well explained and readily accessible; 
 are produced according to sound methods, and 
 are managed impartially and objectively in the public interest.  
Once statistics have been designated as National Statistics, it is a statutory 
requirement that the Code of Practice shall continue to be observed. 
The statistics in this bulletin relate to cases in the magistrates’ courts and the Crown 
Court in England and Wales. Calendar year statistics are also provided. 
Breakdowns of many of the summary figures presented in this bulletin, such as split 
by court or by HMCTS area, are available in the Comma Separated Value (CSV) files 
that accompany this publication. 
 
Revisions 
 
The statistics in the latest quarter are provisional, and are therefore liable to revision 
to take account of any late amendments to the administrative databases from which 
these statistics are sourced. The standard process for revising the published statistics 
to account for these late amendments is as follows: 
 
 An initial revision to the statistics for the latest quarter may be made when the 
next edition of this bulletin is published. Further revisions may be made when 
the figures are reconciled at the end of the year. If revisions are needed in the 
subsequent year this will be clearly annotated in the tables. 
For more information please see the Guide to criminal court statistics. 
 
Symbols and conventions 
 
The following symbols have been used throughout the tables in this bulletin: 
..    
= Not applicable 
- 
= Not available 
0   
= Nil 
(r) 
= Revised data 
(p) 
= Provisional data 

 
 
Previous editions 
 
Previous editions of Court Statistics Quarterly can be found at: 
www.gov.uk/government/collections/court-statistics-quarterly#court-statistics-
quarterly-reports 
 
Future publication 
 
The next publication of Criminal court statistics quarterly is scheduled to be published 
on 30 June 2016, covering the period January to March 2016.  
 
Contacts 
 
Press enquiries on the contents of this bulletin should be directed to the Ministry of 
Justice or Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS) press offices: 
 
Ministry of Justice News Desk  
Tel: xx-xxxx-xxxx 
Email: xxx@xxx.xx 
Other enquiries about these statistics should be directed to the Justice Statistics 
Analytical Services division of the Ministry of Justice: 
 
David Jagger 
Ministry of Justice 
102 Petty France 
London 
SW1H 9AJ 
Email: xxx@xxx.xx 
General enquiries about the statistics work of the Ministry of Justice can be emailed 
to xxx@xxx.xx 
General information about the official statistics system of the UK is available from 
www.statistics.gov.uk 
Feedback 
The structure and content of this report is continually being reviewed to reflect user 
requirements. If you have any feedback about these changes, or the report more 
generally, please contact the production team through the Justice Statistics Analytical 
Services division of the Ministry of Justice: 
Email: xxx@xxx.xx 
© Crown copyright 
Produced by the Ministry of Justice 
Alternative formats are available on request from 
xxx@xxx.xx