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Convictions and Prosecutions: Appeals

Asked by Jess Brown-FullerLiberal DemocratMinistry of JusticeTabled Answered 10 June 2026UIN 6189

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of people who appeal against sentence and conviction from the magistrates court are unrepresented.

Answered by Sarah Sackman

The Ministry of Justice does not hold, and does not have access to, centrally collated data identifying whether people who appeal against conviction or sentence from the magistrates’ courts are legally represented. As a result, we are unable to provide figures for the proportion of such appellants who are unrepresented. We are working towards a more robust evidence base so that we can track issues transparently and support future improvements.

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