Cases that collapsed due to 'lost or missing' evidence in Thames Valley revealed
Hundreds of criminal cases have collapsed in the Thames Valley over the past four years
Figures show one murder case, and 19 sexual offence cases collapsed in the Thames Valley region between October 2022 and September 2024, due to lost or missing evidence.
Data from Oxfordshire’s police force shows that a total of 301 cases fell apart over this period, out of the 24,271 in the region in the period.
The figures amount to just over 1.2% of the cases handed to the Crown Prosecution Service between this period.
That's far better than London's Metropolitan Police Service, who were twice as likely than any other force to see prosecutions dropped due to missing evidence.
Nationally more than 30,000 criminal prosecutions, including some of the most serious offences, collapsed over the past four years due to lost, damaged or un-collected evidence, according to Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) data, revealed after a Freedom of Information request.
The figures include 70 homicides and more than 550 sexual offences.
The problem has been growing, with a higher proportion of cases failing to result in a conviction because of lost or missing evidence each year since 2020.
Thames Valley Police has refused to comment.
A spokesperson for the National Police Chiefs’ Council said:
“Police and the CPS work together to ensure evidence is gathered and presented in a timely manner, bringing offenders to justice and ensuring victims are safeguarded. The E72 category refers to evidence that is either missing or unavailable when a defendant is going to trial following being charged. For example, police may not be able to find an expert witness to give evidence or it may be that a required medical statement cannot be obtained.
“When evidential issues occur in a case, the CPS will raise this with police for any action deemed necessary and we will work together to ensure these are resolved wherever possible.”