POOR people are pleading guilty to crimes they did not commit because they can’t afford to pay new court fees, a Labour MP said yesterday.

Tulip Siddiq raised concerns in a Westminster Hall debate that charges introduced by the Tories are behind a rising number of miscarriages of justice.

Since April, convicted criminals have been liable to pay up to £1,200 towards the cost of their court case.

There has already been an 80 per cent fall in the number of women pursuing sex discrimination claims and a 60 per cent drop in race discriminations claims.

Now Ms Siddiq believes the court charges, which are determined by the length of the case, are preventing the poor from seeking justice.

She said: “An increasing number of defendants appear to be pleading guilty, as protesting their innocence risks incurring substantially greater fines should they be found guilty later down the line.

“In 21st-century Britain, we should be appalled at any miscarriage of justice, especially where defendants forego their freedoms due to financial constraints.”

The issue was made more pressing by figures showing that 80 per cent of defendants at some magistrates’ courts are dependent on benefits to make ends meet.

The Hampstead and Kilburn MP also said the new court charges were leading to “disproportionate fines to the minor offences” that many poor defendants are unable to pay.

She told MPs of shocking court cases heard in her constituency over the last month.

In one case, a man with a serious drug addiction pleaded guilty to stealing a few steaks and some 70p drumstick lollies from Sainsbury’s.

Despite the fact he had no income, the Tory policy meant that the judge had no choice but to add a £150 court charge to the £85 costs and £60 victim surcharge that he had to pay, on top of doing community service.

The Bar Council said the lack of discretion would leave a parent who steals food for their children facing the same charge as a gang found guilty of shoplifting.

Ms Siddiq called on the government to review the policy and reveal how many court fines have gone unpaid by poor defendants.