Watching a Court Case
25th July 2023Old Bailey
The Central Criminal Court for the City of London and the County of Middlesex, the Old Bailey is where some of the most heinous and most famous cases have been tried. Famous cases include those of Oscar Wilde, Dr Crippen, William Joyce ('Lord Haw Haw'), John Christie, the Krays and Peter Sutcliffe, the 'Yorkshire Ripper'.
Annually, I attempt to attend the Sheriffs' and Recorder's Fund production of 'Trial and Error' in Court number one. Cases from years past are re-enacted by real Sheriffs, Judges, Clerks and more in order to raise money for this important charity. So, my experience is framed principally from days gone by.
On this particular day, however, I was invited to watch the proceedings in a current murder case. Details must be omitted. What was plain to see is the modernisation of a working Court. CCTV footage was shown to jurors from laptops placed in front of them. Digital statements were available on the same laptop; but, read out for the record. Good old fashioned police work is still relevant as a police officer took the stand and described what they saw and heard.
The Judge who kindly spoke with us before lunch presented us with some very uncomfortable statistics on knife crime, particularly youth against youth. In this particular courtroom, it was not youth against youth; but, no less chilling.
My thanks to Sheriff Andrew Marsden and the Judges for this opportunity. It was a stark reminder about the fragility of life and the fact that not all cases are open and shut.