Case of the missing evidence

Staffordshire has one of the highest rates of criminal cases collapsing in the country

- Hayley Parker

MORE than 350 criminal cases across Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire collapsed over two years due to lost, damaged or missing evidence - including six sexual offences.

A total of 14,467 cases were handed to the Crown Prosecution Service in Staffordshire between October 2022 and September 2024 with 358 - or 2.5 per cent - not reaching a resolution. Only the Metropolitan Police Service and Leicestershire Police had a higher percentage of cases collapse.

The figures have emerged in a BBC Shared Data Unit investigation. It found that the problem has been growing, with a higher proportion of cases failing to result in a conviction because of lost or missing evidence each year since 2020.

A total of 30,000 criminal cases across England and Wales collapsed since 2020, including 70 murders and more than 550 sexual offences. Experts said the increasing proportion of cases collapsing due to missing evidence was due to:

■ The closure of the Forensic Science Service in 2012;

■ A lack of scrutiny over evidence retention;

■ The growth in digital evidence and increasing demands on storage space;

■ Fears over police budgets and resources;

■ A wave of inexperienced police recruits were leading to more items being lost or mishandled.