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<p>Prosecutors should identify and, where appropriate, seek to rectify evidential
weaknesses in a case. However, they should stop cases which do not meet the evidential
stage of the Full Code Test in the Code for Crown Prosecutors and which cannot be
strengthened by further investigation, or where the public interest clearly does not
require a prosecution. There is a continuing duty of review throughout the case.</p><p>Internal
CPS case outcome recording data for 2015-17 shows that issues connected to the disclosure
of unused material were recorded as the primary reason in 0.81% of all prosecutions
that did not result in a conviction.</p><p>Other reasons prosecutions may be stopped
include that new material reviewed during the case reveals evidence which undermines
the prosecution case, key witnesses do not attend, key evidence is ruled inadmissible,
or other circumstances change to the extent that a charge no longer meets the evidential
stage of the Full Code Test.</p><p>The most frequent reason that a prosecution did
not result in a conviction was that the defendant was acquitted after trial. This
was the reason in 25% of such cases.</p>
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