Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service
Magistrates Court Statistics (Provisional Statistics) January - March 2011
13th May 2011
Figures published today by the NI Courts and Tribunals Service in the
quarterly Magistrates Court Bulletin outline the Crown court business received
and dealt with from the quarter January to March 2011.
During the quarter;
- There were 1,170 scheduled magistrates’ sittings
- There were 66 additional magistrates’ sittings
- 14,554 new adult criminal defendants were received in court and 14,421
adult defendants were disposed of
- The average waiting time in the adult criminal court from first hearing
to disposal was 7 weeks
Ends
Notes for Editors
During Jan – Mar 2011:
- There were 1,155 scheduled magistrates’ sittings of which:
| Criminal |
767 |
| Youth |
142 |
| Family |
261 |
- There were 69 additional magistrates’ sittings of which:
| Criminal |
57 |
| Youth |
4 |
| Family |
5 |
- 14,554 new adult criminal defendants were received in court and 14,421
adult defendants were disposed of during the period. (Figure 1)
Figure 1: Percentage of adults entered and disposed of in the court
divisions
| Venue |
% Adults Disposed |
% Adults Entered |
| Belfast |
31 |
33 |
| Londonderry |
10 |
9 |
| Antrim |
11 |
10 |
| Fermanagh |
16 |
15 |
| Armagh |
10 |
11 |
| Ards |
12 |
12 |
| Craigavon |
10 |
10 |
- The majority of prosecutions disposed in the adult court
were brought by PSNI/ PPS.
- The volume of adult business was highest in the Division of
Belfast
- The average waiting time in the adult criminal court from
first hearing to disposal was 7 weeks. (Figure 2)
Figure 2: Waiting times in weeks in adult magistrates’ courts (1st hearing to
disposal)
| Venue |
Waiting Time (in weeks) |
| Belfast |
6.7 |
| Londonderry |
7.1 |
| Antrim |
7.6 |
| Fermanagh |
5.7 |
| Armagh |
6.3 |
| Ards |
8.2 |
| Craigavon |
7.5 |
- 749 new defendants were entered in the youth court and 811 youth defendants were disposed of in the youth court
- The average waiting time in the youth court from first
hearing to disposal was 13 weeks
Important Notes:
- Figures are computed from a live database and may change due to late returns
and further validations.
- Date of disposal is based on the date of sentencing, date of acquittal or
date a bill of indictment is not proceeded with.
- Waiting times do not exclude recess.
The full version is available at:
http://www.courtsni.gov.uk/en-GB/Publications/Targets_and_Performance/p_tp_MagistratesCourtBulletin_JanMarch_2011.htm
If you have any further queries or if you have difficulty viewing the figures
please contact:
Press Team
Communications Group
Northern Ireland Court Service
Laganside House
23-27 Oxford Street
Belfast
BT1 3LA
Tel. 028 9041 2284