london law experience
by miss waller
March 2011
It was a cold winter's day and murder was in the air, yes murder! The house fire was fierce and there was so much activity going on. The fire brigade, the police, the witnesses and the residents all rushing to someplace or another.
Then the screams!
Was it murder? Let the Jury decide!
The Old Bailey was silent as the case was heard; the jury sat in stillness, eyes glaring at the middle aged women in the dock. The Judge spoke with such authority, 'Answer the question or you will be held in contempt of court'. As the witness began to recall her recollections of that fatal day more than 12 months ago, the prosecution dissected the information at every opportunity leaving no room for error. Was this a case of first degree murder or was it indeed manslaughter, all will be revealed in time?
This was such a great opportunity for the law students to actually see a murder case being heard at the Old Bailey. It dates back to 1673, also known as Justice Hall, the Sessions House, and the Central Criminal Court, it is named after the street in which it is located, just off Newgate Street and next to Newgate Prison, in the western part of the City of London. Over the centuries the building has been periodically remodelled and rebuilt in ways which both reflected and influenced the changing ways trials were and are carried out and reported.
Once the case had been adjourned the students and I left the public galleries and made our way to Westminster where we took a guided boat trip down the Thames. It was a bright day and the Houses of Parliament were clear to see. Our guide was informative and pointed out all the relevant landmarks and buildings, including MI5 and MI6.
We finished our day with a ride on the London eye which was enjoyed by all, well excluding Rob Clowes who half way to the top decided to inform me he was scared of heights!
