Census convictions
120 people convicted
British courts have convicted 120 people of failure to complete last year’s census. A boycott was triggered by the involvement of arms firms. Those found guilty have been given fines ranging from around £75 to £1,000. Some have said they will go to prison rather than pay the fine.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) last week released precise figures on prosecutions for the first time. They show a much higher number of convictions than many campaigners and observers had estimated.
The ONS said that they had referred 369 cases to the Crown Prosecution Service, of which 157 had reached the point of prosecution. Of these, 120 people were found guilty. The other thirty-seven agreed to complete the census.
Quakers facing court over the issue include John Marjoram, who is the mayor of Stroud, and John Voysey, who was a conscientious objector to conscription in 1947 (see ‘400 being prosecuted for census boycott’, 13 January).
Arms company Lockheed Martin administered the census in England and Wales, while CACI performed a similar role in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
