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<p>CPS Policy on assisted suicide provides guidance to prosecutors on assessing the
evidential and public interest stages in the Code for Crown Prosecutors when reaching
decisions in cases of encouraging or assisting suicide.</p><p> </p><p>The Policy promotes
consistency of decision making and is very clear about the factors which are to be
considered both for and against prosecution. It sets out clear guidance about the
importance of establishing whether the decision of the person who wants to commit
suicide is voluntary, clear, settled, and informed, and whether the decision has been
made without any pressure from the suspect.</p><p> </p><p>The CPS publishes information
collated from manual records on cases relating to Assisted Suicide. From 1 April 2009
up to 31 January 2021, there have been 167 cases referred to the CPS by the police
that have been recorded as assisted suicide. Of these 167 cases:</p><ul><li>110 were
not proceeded with by the CPS;</li><li>32 cases were withdrawn by the police;</li><li>eight
are currently ongoing cases;</li><li>three cases of encouraging or assisting suicide
have resulted in a conviction;</li><li>one case of assisted suicide was charged and
acquitted after trial in May 2015; and</li></ul><p>eight cases were referred onwards
for prosecution for homicide or other serious crime.</p><p> </p><p>Of the 110 cases
not proceeded with by the CPS, manual records indicate:</p><ul><li>29 - did not meet
the evidential stage.</li><li>45 - were not in the public interest.</li><li>30 – where
information on either the evidential test or the public interest test is not recorded.</li></ul><p>
</p><p>A further six cases are recorded with more than one suspect in the same case;
these resulted in a mixed outcome where the evidential stage was not met for some
suspects and the public interest test was not met for the others.</p><p> </p><p>CPS
manual records do not capture specific case circumstances, including those relating
to persons with a terminal illness.</p><p> </p><p>The CPS collects data to assist
in the effective management of its prosecution functions. The CPS does not collect
data that constitutes official statistics as defined in the Statistics and Registration
Service Act 2007.</p>
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