£1.8bn in unpaid fines
Nearly £2bn in court fines and confiscation orders remain unpaid, new figures show, as the Government admitted it needed to do more to tackle the debt.
The total value of outstanding fines and orders imposed at the end of the 2011-2012 period was £1.8bn, a slight dip from the £1.9bn remaining at the start of the year, Her Majesty’s Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) said.
While criminals’ ill-gotten gains were used to fund a record £22.3m in compensation to victims in the period, Justice Minister Helen Grant said the Government “recognises more must be done to tackle the outstanding debt”.
Meanwhile, a total of £484m was collected from offenders in the period, while 75 per cent of all orders imposed in 2011-2012 have been paid in full.