Woolwich_Crown_Court

Woolwich Crown Court

Woolwich Crown Court

Judicial building in Woolwich, London, England

Woolwich Crown Court, or more accurately the Crown Court at Woolwich, is a Crown Court venue which deals with criminal cases on Belmarsh Way, Thamesmead, London, England.

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History

In the early 1990s, the Lord Chancellor's Department decided to commission a courthouse adjacent to HM Prison Belmarsh so offenders did not have to be transported to court by vehicle.[1]

The building was designed by the Property Services Agency in the Modernist style, built by Hamills Construction in brick and concrete and was completed in 1993.[2][3] The design involved a broadly symmetrical main frontage with an entrance block flanked by two wings, laid out a slightly different angles, facing onto Belmarsh Way. The entrance block featured a portico formed by columns supporting a glass canopy and was surmounted by a drum-like structure. The entrance block and the wings were faced in light grey cladding. Internally, the building was laid out with six courtrooms.[4]

Woolwich Crown Court was intended to serve as a high-security courtroom and became the preferred venue for terrorism trials. A tunnel was established linking the court to the maximum-security HM Prison Belmarsh.[5] This provided a secure route for bringing defendants in high-profile terrorist cases before the court. Also, armed police were deployed as necessary to provide security.[6] In June 1998, it was the venue for the trial and conviction of defendants charged with conspiracy to cause the 1996 Docklands bombing.[7]

The court was subsequently the venue for the trial and conviction, in June 2007, of the six men accused of attempting the 21 July 2005 London bombings on the London transport network,[8] the trial and conviction, in December 2009, of Bilal Abdullah in connection with the 2007 Glasgow Airport attack,[9] and the trial and conviction, in July 2010, of those charged with offences in connection with the 2006 transatlantic aircraft plot.[10][11]

The court was also the place for the trial and conviction, in January 2018, of those charged with offences in connection with the 2015 Hatton Garden safe deposit burglary.[12][13]

References

  1. [1]
    "Law Courts and Courtrooms 1: The Buildings of the Criminal Law". Historic England. 1 August 2016. p. 12. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  2. [2]
    "Planning Board: Woolwich Crown Court, 2 Belmarsh Road Western Way, Thamesmead". London Borough of Greenwich. 5 July 2022. p. 4. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  3. [3]
    "Woolwich Crown Court". Cement Aid. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  4. [4]
    "Woolwich". Archived from the original on 13 February 2006.
  5. [5]
    "Belmarsh: A 'complex' jail". BBC News. 8 March 2006. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  6. [6]
    "Judges unsure about prefab courts". BBC News. 10 October 2009. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  7. [7]
    "No retrial after jury dismissed". 25 June 1998. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  8. [8]
    "Man jailed over failed 2005 London bombings loses attempt to appeal". the Guardian. 30 April 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  9. [9]
    "Bomb plot doctor jailed for life". BBC News. 17 December 2008. Archived from the original on 30 December 2008. Retrieved 9 July 2010.
  10. [10]
    Dodd, Vikram (7 September 2009). "Three terrorists convicted of plotting to blow up jets over Atlantic - UK security and counter-terrorism". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  11. [11]
    "Would-be suicide bombers jailed for life". BBC News. 12 July 2010. Archived from the original on 21 January 2023. Retrieved 12 July 2010.
  12. [12]
    Massey, Nina (17 January 2018). "Hatton Garden raiders stole £14m worth of good, court hears". The Independent. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  13. [13]
    "Hatton Garden ringleaders must pay £27.5m or serve more years in prison". Sky News. 30 January 2018. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
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