After 103 cases were tried before the courts in 2014, a 29% conviction rate was registered.
This is according to a release from the Chambers of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) which further showed that nearly 67% of the cases which received attention in court were murders.
The number of cases disposed of continues to be far below the number listed for hearing. For example in the October Assizes in Demerara, 226 cases were listed for hearing but only 25 received attention.
During 2014, the DPP said, 140 cases were disposed of while 103 cases received attention. Of these 103 cases, 75 were presented from the Demerara Assizes, 15 from the Berbice Assizes, and 13 from the Essequibo Assizes. Murders accounted for the majority of these with 69 cases while the second most prevalent offence was rape with 18 cases.
Further, 2014 saw 30 convictions, 54 acquittals, 10 hung juries, 1 quashed committal and 2 aborted trials. In some remaining cases, persons were ordered to have psychiatric evaluations.
During the most recent October Assizes, there were 31 matters which received attention and 20 of these were murders. Seven of these cases saw convictions while one person pleaded guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter and was also convicted. In the remaining cases persons were acquitted, died, had the matter aborted or had no case submissions upheld.
The High Court of Demerara saw the most matters during the October Assizes with a figure of 16. The Demerara Assizes also ended on December 19.
The Berbice and Essequibo Assizes will continue until February 2 and February 16 respectively.
There was one other feature of the gaol delivery that will raise continued concern. This is in relation to the number of rape cases where a nolle prosequi (case not to be proceeded with) was entered by the DPP. For the October Assizes, the DPP entered a nolle prosequi in relation to eight carnal knowledge cases.
The DPP release said one virtual complainant (VC) indicated in writing that she no longer wished to proceed, four others could not be found and three others failed to attend court.
In the June sessions in Demerara this year, a nolle prosequi was entered by the DPP in 17 sexual offences cases because the VCs did not wish to proceed with the prosecution. Critics have said that the long drawn out process at the preliminary inquiry stage and the further wait until the High Court cases comes up dissuades complainants from continuing with the matter. Law changes to enable paper committals in these cases have since been challenged in court.
At the Berbice Criminal Assizes, a murder case had to be aborted for a second time after a juror reported that the daughter and sister of the two accused had visited her workplace and said that the accused were innocent of the charge.
Meanwhile, the January 2015 Assizes for Demerara will be opened on January 13 and there are currently 213 cases listed to be heard during this session. Justice Navindra Singh, Justice Franklin Holder, and Justice James Bovell-Drakes are scheduled to sit during this Assizes, the DPP revealed.
Further, the February 2015 Berbice Assizes will commence on February 17 before Justice Brassington Reynolds while the February Assizes for Essequibo opens on February 3 before Justice Sandra Kurtzious.
During 2014, the DPP also said that it appeared in 50 matters in the Court of Appeal while in the Caribbean Court of Justice 4 matters were heard.
