nested xml file to pandas dataframe

Because your XML is pretty complex with text values spilling across nodes, consider XSLT, the special-purpose language designed to transform XML files especially complex to simpler ones.

Python's third-party module, lxml, can run XSLT 1.0 even XPath 1.0 to parse through the transformed result for migration to a pandas dataframe. Additionally, you can use external XSLT processors that Python can call with subprocess.

Specifically, below XSLT extracts necessary attributes from both defendant and victim and entire paragraph text value by using XPath's descendant::* from the root, assuming <p> is a child to it.

XSLT (save as a .xsl file, a special .xml file)

<xsl:stylesheet version="1.0" xmlns:xsl="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform">
  <xsl:output indent="yes" method="xml"/>
  <xsl:strip-space elements="*"/>
  
  <xsl:template match="/*">
    <xsl:apply-templates select="p"/>
  </xsl:template>
  
  <xsl:template match="p">
    <data>
      <defendantName><xsl:value-of select="normalize-space(descendant::persName[@type='defendantName'])"/></defendantName>
      <defendantGender><xsl:value-of select="descendant::persName[@type='defendantName']/interp[@type='gender']/@value"/></defendantGender>
      <offenceCategory><xsl:value-of select="descendant::interp[@type='offenceCategory']/@value"/></offenceCategory>
      <offenceSubCategory><xsl:value-of select="descendant::interp[@type='offenceSubcategory']/@value"/></offenceSubCategory>
      
      <victimName><xsl:value-of select="normalize-space(descendant::persName[@type='victimName'])"/></victimName>
      <victimGender><xsl:value-of select="descendant::persName[@type='victimName']/interp[@type='gender']/@value"/></victimGender>
      <verdictCategory><xsl:value-of select="descendant::interp[@type='verdictCategory']/@value"/></verdictCategory>
      <verdictSubCategory><xsl:value-of select="descendant::interp[@type='verdictSubcategory']/@value"/></verdictSubCategory>
      <punishmentCategory><xsl:value-of select="descendant::interp[@type='punishmentCategory']/@value"/></punishmentCategory>
      
      <trialText><xsl:value-of select="normalize-space(/p)"/></trialText>
    </data>
  </xsl:template>       
 
</xsl:stylesheet>

Python

import lxml.etree as et
import pandas as pd

# LOAD XML AND XSL
doc = et.parse("Source.xml")
xsl = et.parse("XSLT_Script.xsl")

# RUN TRANSFORMATION
transformer = et.XSLT(xsl)
result = transformer(doc)

# OUTPUT TO CONSOLE
print(result)

data = []
for i in result.xpath('/*'):
    inner = {}
    for j in i.xpath('*'):
        inner[j.tag] = j.text
        
    data.append(inner)
    
trial_df = pd.DataFrame(data)

print(trial_df)

For the 1,000 similar XML files, loop through this process and append each one-row trial_df dataframes in a list to be stacked with pd.concat.

XML Output

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<data>
  <defendantName>Alice Jones</defendantName>
  <defendantGender>female</defendantGender>
  <offenceCategory>theft</offenceCategory>
  <offenceSubCategory>shoplifting</offenceSubCategory>
  <victimName>Edward Hillior</victimName>
  <victimGender>male</victimGender>
  <verdictCategory>guilty</verdictCategory>
  <verdictSubCategory>theftunder1s</verdictSubCategory>
  <punishmentCategory>transport</punishmentCategory>
  <trialText>Alice Jones , of St. Michael's Cornhill, was indicted for privately stealing a Bermundas Hat, value 10 s. out of the Shop of Edward Hillior , on the 21st of April last. The Prosecutor's Servant deposed that the Prisner came into his Master's Shop and ask'd for a Hat of about 10 s. price; that he shewed several, and at last they agreed for one; but she said it was to go into the Country, and that she would stop into Bishopsgate-street. and if the Coach was not gone she would come and fetch it; that she went out of the Shop but he perceiving she could hardly walk fetcht her back again, and the Hat mentioned in the Indictment fell from between her Legs. Another deposed that he saw the former Evidence take the Hat from under her Petticoats. The Prisoner denyed the Fact, and called two Persons to her Reputation, who gave her a good Character, and said that she rented a House of 10 l. a Year in Petty France, at Westminster, but she had told the Justice that she liv'd in King-Street. The Jury considering the whole matter, found her Guilty to the value of 10 d. Transportation .</trialText>
</data>

Dataframe Output

#   defendantGender defendantName offenceCategory offenceSubCategory  \
# 0          female   Alice Jones           theft        shoplifting   

#   punishmentCategory                                          trialText  \
# 0          transport  Alice Jones , of St. Michael's Cornhill, was i...   

#   verdictCategory verdictSubCategory victimGender      victimName  
# 0          guilty       theftunder1s         male  Edward Hillior