The continued rise in the number of trial dates listed at the Central Criminal Court is one of several challenges facing the Director of Public Prosecutions’ office, according to her annual report.
Last year, there was a 19 per cent increase in trial dates arising from the director’s prosecutions at the Central Criminal Court, a continuation of a recent trend. In total, the director’s office supported 2,185 trial dates last year.
This continued increase in activity at the Central Criminal Court has coincided with an increase in the number of judges assigned to the court, which has risen from five to 12 in the last number of years. The Central Criminal Court deals predominantly with murder and rape cases.
In 2024, a total of 299 cases concluded at the Central Criminal Court. Of these cases, 222 (74 per cent) ended in a conviction.
RM Block
Last year also saw a significant increase in Central Criminal Court sittings outside Dublin. There were 855 sitting days listed outside of the capital, a 65 per cent increase on 2023.
The annual report also outlines that Catherine Pierse’s office recovered over €12 million last year, arising from an increased focus on the confiscation of criminal assets. This figure represents a 149 per cent increase on the previous year.
As well as an increased workload within the Central Criminal Court, Ms Pierse said in her report that the proliferation of digital data in many cases is also a major challenge for her office. This data includes mobile phone records, material from social media platforms and CCTV footage.
“There is a clear need to re-examine the policies and practices that underpin our current approach to disclosure. At present, the prosecution and investigators are tasked with reviewing extensive volumes of material to identify information that may be relevant to the defence, in the absence of any statutory obligation on the defence to engage in this process.
“Achieving meaningful and lasting improvements in data management and disclosure practices will require a sustained, collaborative effort across the entire criminal justice system,” she said.
As of last month, the office secured convictions in 2,530 cases prosecuted on indictment, commenced in 2023, either by a jury or following a guilty plea. A total of 65 defendants were acquitted in cases commenced in 2023. A further 2,060 cases from 2023 are yet to be heard.
Of 211 cases commenced in 2023 and prosecuted on indictment at the Central Criminal Court, 145 alleged rape and 41 involved alleged murder or attempted murder.
In the murder and attempted murder cases, 18 ended in a conviction by jury, while six convictions arose from a guilty plea. Two case were disposed of in other ways, while 12 remain listed for hearing.
Of the 145 rape cases, 31 ended in a conviction by jury, and 29 convictions followed a guilty plea. Juries in 14 of the cases acquitted the defendant. Sixty cases are yet to be heard.
The number of files received by the DPP last year seeking direction on whether to prosecute was 11,195, a slight increase on 2023’s figure. These files relate to 13,877 suspects.
In roughly a third of decisions issued in 2024, the DPP directed that no prosecution be pursued. In the majority of these cases, this decision was taken due to a lack of evidence, or the withdrawal of a complaint.
The DPP received a total of 571 requests from complainants for reasons as to why no prosecution was directed. A further 219 requests were received seeking a review of a decision not to prosecute.
