Prosecutors in England and Wales have been instructed to fast-track hate crime prosecutions under new guidance issued by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Stephen Parkinson, following a surge in antisemitic incidents. The move comes after what the DPP described as 'a deeply troubling rise in antisemitic incidents across the country'.
New guidance on charging decisions
Mr Parkinson has told prosecutors that 'any supporting evidence can be obtained subsequently' once the evidential threshold for a charge is met. Explaining the decision to expedite hate crime cases, he stated in the guidance: 'Its purpose is to ensure that charging decisions are made swiftly and efficiently, with prosecutors focusing on the core evidence required to determine whether the evidential test is satisfied. Where that threshold for prosecution is met, then a prosecution decision should not be delayed – any supporting evidence can be obtained subsequently.'
Context of rising antisemitism
Mr Parkinson highlighted that 'only a fraction' of antisemitic crimes are referred to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), noting that the Jewish community faces 'extreme acts of violence and criminal damage'. The guidance further states: 'This guidance is issued against a background of a deeply troubling rise in antisemitic incidents across the country. These are not limited to the extreme acts of violence and criminal damage that are currently the subject of investigation and proceedings. Instead, it is evident that, as they go about their daily lives, the Jewish community face numerous incidents which involve threats or abuse and which are intended or likely to cause distress to Jewish people. All such incidents are crimes, but only a fraction of them are referred to the CPS. Where they are, we prosecute in the great majority of cases, with a high conviction rate.'
This is a breaking news story and is being updated.
