Total court trials from 2016 - 2026

​​Request ​816802876 

Please provide the following statistics for the years 2016 to 2026 (so far): 

Magistrates' Court: The total number of criminal trials concluded, the number of convictions,

and the number of acquittals. 

Royal Court - Trial by Jury: The total number of criminal trials concluded before a Jury, the number of convictions in a trial before a Jury ,and the number of acquittals. 

Royal Court - Trial by Jurats: The total number of criminal trials concluded before Jurats, the number of convictions in a trial before Jurats, and the number of acquittals. 

Response

Magistrate's Court 

The way we hold information relating to concluded adult remand trials has changed over time and as a result the Court Service is only able to provide data from 2019 onwards within the cost limits permitted under FOI regulations. For the earlier years 2016 to 2018, extracting the data requested would mean reviewing each file individually and Article 16 (1) of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 applies. 

*To 31 March​ 

In respect of the outcome of trials (the number of convictions and acquittals) information relating to years 2019 to 2022 is only held manually which would mean reviewing each file individually. This would take in excess of the cost limits permitted under FOI regulations, and Article 16 (1) must be applied. Data from 2023 onwards is held and is supplied. 

Royal Court 

All statistics that have been compiled up to 2024 in respect of Jury trials can be found in the Annual reports on the Judicial Greffe pages of the Courts.je website and Article 23 is applied. In respect of 2025 there were 21 Jury trials completed and in 2026 there have been 5 completed to the end of March 2026. 

The Court Service holds no statistics relating to the numbers of persons acquitted or convicted during these trials and Article 3 applies. It must be noted that to compile statistics relating to the number of convictions and acquittals in a trial before Juries would require the Acts of Court for each case to be reviewed individually. There is no requirement under the Freedom of Information Law to compile statistics that are not already held. 

No statistics in respect of the number of trials or their outcomes before Jurats are held and Article 3 applies.

Articles applied

Article 3 Meaning of “information held by a public authority" 

For the purposes of this Law, information is held by a public authority if –

(a)        it is held by the authority, otherwise than on behalf of another person; or 

(b)        it is held by another person on behalf of the authority.

Article 16 A scheduled public authority may refuse to supply information if cost excessive 

(1) A scheduled public authority that has been requested to supply information may refuse to supply the information if it estimates that the cost of doing so would exceed an amount determined in the manner prescribed by Regulations 

Article 23 Information accessible to applicant by other means

(1) Information is absolutely exempt information if it is reasonably available to the applicant, otherwise than under this Law, whether or not free of charge.

(2) A scheduled public authority that refuses an application for information on this ground must make reasonable efforts to inform the applicant where the applicant may obtain the information.