List_of_Crown_Court_venues_in_England_and_Wales

List of Crown Court venues in England and Wales

List of Crown Court venues in England and Wales

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In the system of courts of England and Wales, the Crown Court deals with serious criminal charges and with less serious charges where the accused has elected trial at the Crown Court instead of trial at a magistrates' court. The Crown Court also hears appeals against conviction and sentence from magistrates.[1]

The Central Criminal Court, better known as the Old Bailey, is the Crown Court centre for the City of London.

Background

The Crown Court system was established by the Courts Act 1971, which came into force on 1 January 1972, following the recommendations of a royal commission chaired by Lord Beeching. Previously, criminal cases that were not dealt with by magistrates were heard by assize courts and courts of quarter sessions, in a system that had changed little in the preceding centuries.[2] The Crown Court system is administered by His Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service, an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice. England is divided into six regions by HMCTS (London, Midlands, North East, North West, South East and Western), with the whole of Wales forming a seventh region.[3]

Organisation

In 2007, there were 91 locations in England and Wales at which the Crown Court regularly sat.[4] Crown Court centres are designated in one of three tiers: first-tier centres are visited by High Court judges for criminal and also for civil cases (in the District Registry of the High Court); second-tier centres are visited by High Court judges for criminal work only; and third-tier centres are not normally visited by High Court judges. High Court judges hear 2% of cases at the Crown Court, but 27% of the most serious (Class 1) cases. Circuit judges and recorders sit at all three tiers, hearing 88% and 10% of the cases respectively. When the Crown Court is conducting a trial, the judge sits with a jury of twelve; when hearing appeals against decisions of a magistrates' court, the judge sits with two (or sometimes four) magistrates.[1]

Place of business

Section 78 of the Supreme Court Act 1981 provides that the Crown Court can conduct business at any location in England and Wales, in accordance with directions given by the Lord Chancellor.[5] This power is sometimes used to enable court sittings to take place away from one of the regular Crown Court venues. For example, in 2007, a sitting of the Crown Court was held at one of the oldest court buildings in England or Wales, the former courthouse in Beaumaris, Anglesey, which was built in 1614 and closed in 1997.[6]

Crown Court locations

Brighton Law Courts
Cambridge Crown Court
Cardiff Crown Court
Exeter Law Courts
Hove Trial Centre
Kingston upon Hull Combined Court Centre
Inner London Crown Court
Lewes Crown Court
Newport Crown Court
Reading Crown Court
Snaresbrook Crown Court
Stafford Combined Court Centre
Swansea Crown Court
Worcester Crown Court
York Crown Court
More information Court name, Region ...

See also

References

  1. [1]
    "Judicial and Court Statistics 2007, Chapter 6" (PDF). Ministry of Justice. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 October 2008. Retrieved 16 October 2008.
  2. [2]
    Zander, Michael (2007). Cases and Materials on the English Legal System. Cambridge University Press. p. 16. ISBN 978-0-521-67540-6.
  3. [3]
    "HMCS Framework Document" (PDF). HMCS. April 2008. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 November 2008. Retrieved 16 October 2008.
  4. [4]
    "Courts". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). House of Commons. 4 December 2007. col. 1179W–1181W.
  5. [5]
    Jackson, Richard Meredith; Spencer, J. R. (1989). Jackson's Machinery of Justice. Cambridge University Press. p. 176. ISBN 978-0-521-31767-2.
  6. [6]
    "Historic court reopens for a day". BBC News. 14 September 2007. Retrieved 17 October 2008.
  7. [7]
    "Aylesbury Crown Court, a building steeped with history closes its doors". Premier Newspapers Ltd. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  8. [8]
    "Court Information and Addresses". HMCS. Archived from the original on 16 November 2008. Retrieved 20 October 2008.
  9. [9]
    "Crown Court Annual Report 2006–2007 Basildon Crown Court" (PDF). HMCS. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 December 2008. Retrieved 20 October 2008.
  10. [10]
    "Crown Court Annual Report 2006–2007 Birmingham Crown Court" (PDF). HMCS. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 December 2008. Retrieved 20 October 2008.
  11. [11]
    "Crown Court Annual Report 2006–2007 Bristol Crown Court" (PDF). HMCS. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 December 2008. Retrieved 20 October 2008.
  12. [12]
    "Lord Chief Justice opens new Caernarfon Criminal Justice Centre" (Press release). Her Majesty's Courts Service. 20 May 2009. Archived from the original (doc) on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 12 June 2009.
  13. [13]
    Crump, Eyrl (23 August 2008). "Caernarfon Crown court for sale". Daily Post. Retrieved 20 October 2008.
  14. [14]
    "Cambridge Crown Court upgraded to hear more serious cases" (Press release). Department for Constitutional Affairs. 9 May 2005. Retrieved 20 October 2008.[permanent dead link]
  15. [15]
    "Crown Court Annual Report 2006–2007 Cardiff / Newport Crown Court" (PDF). HMCS. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 December 2008. Retrieved 20 October 2008.
  16. [16]
    "Crown Court Annual Report 2006–2007 Chester Crown Court" (PDF). HMCS. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 December 2008. Retrieved 20 October 2008.
  17. [17]
    "Crown Court Annual Report 2006–2007 Doncaster Crown Court" (PDF). HMCS. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 December 2008. Retrieved 20 October 2008.
  18. [18]
    "Crown Court Annual Report 2006–2007 Weymouth and Dorchester Crown Court" (PDF). HMCS. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 December 2008. Retrieved 20 October 2008.
  19. [19]
    "Crown Court Annual Report 2006–2007 Durham Crown Court" (PDF). HMCS. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 December 2008. Retrieved 20 October 2008.
  20. [20]
    "Crown Court Annual Report 2006–2007 Gloucester Court" (PDF). HMCS. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 December 2008. Retrieved 20 October 2008.
  21. [21]
    "Crown Court Annual Report 2006–2007 Guildford Court" (PDF). HMCS. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 December 2008. Retrieved 20 October 2008.
  22. [22]
    "Crown Court Annual Report 2006–2007 Worcester Crown Court" (PDF). HMCS. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 December 2008. Retrieved 20 October 2008.
  23. [23]
    "Crown Court: Hearing Impairment". UK Parliament. 14 July 2022. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  24. [24]
    "Crown Court Annual Report 2006–2007 Kingston-upon-Thames Crown Court" (PDF). HMCS. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 December 2008. Retrieved 20 October 2008.
  25. [25]
    "Crown Court Annual Report 2006–2007 Preston Crown Court" (PDF). HMCS. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 December 2008. Retrieved 20 October 2008.
  26. [26]
    "Crown Court Annual Report 2006–2007 Lewes Crown Court" (PDF). HMCS. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 December 2008. Retrieved 20 October 2008.
  27. [27]
    "Crown Court Annual Report 2006–2007 Luton Crown Court" (PDF). HMCS. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 December 2008. Retrieved 20 October 2008.
  28. [28]
    "Crown Court Annual Report 2006–2007 Manchester Crown Sq Crown Court" (PDF). HMCS. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 December 2008. Retrieved 20 October 2008.
  29. [29]
    "Crown Court Annual Report 2006–2007 Manchester Minshull St Crown Court" (PDF). HMCS. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 December 2008. Retrieved 20 October 2008.
  30. [30]
    "Crown Court Annual Report 2006–2007 Mold Crown Court" (PDF). HMCS. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 December 2008. Retrieved 20 October 2008.
  31. [31]
    "Crown Court Annual Report 2006–2007 Reading Crown Court" (PDF). HMCS. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 December 2008. Retrieved 20 October 2008.
  32. [32]
    "Shrewsbury court users benefit from £5m government investment". HMCTS. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
  33. [33]
    "Crown Court Annual Report 2006–2007 Shrewsbury Crown Court" (PDF). HMCS. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 December 2008. Retrieved 20 October 2008.
  34. [34]
    "Crown Court Annual Report 2004–2005 Snaresbrook Crown Court" (PDF). HMCS. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 December 2008. Retrieved 20 October 2008.
  35. [35]
    "Crown Court Annual Report 2006–2007 Snaresbrook Crown Court" (PDF). HMCS. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 December 2008. Retrieved 20 October 2008.
  36. [36]
    "Crown Court Annual Report 2006–2007 Southwark Crown Court" (PDF). HMCS. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 December 2008. Retrieved 20 October 2008.
  37. [37]
    "Crown Court Annual Report 2006–2007 St Albans Crown Court" (PDF). HMCS. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 December 2008. Retrieved 20 October 2008.
  38. [38]
    "Crown Court Annual Report 2006–2007 Swansea Crown Court" (PDF). HMCS. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 December 2008. Retrieved 20 October 2008.
  39. [39]
    "Crown Court Annual Report 2006–2007 York Crown Court" (PDF). HMCS. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 December 2008. Retrieved 20 October 2008.
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