Old Bailey

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The Old Bailey

An Old Bailey trial circa 1808.

South Block, Old Bailey

The Central Criminal Court, commonly known as the Old Bailey (a bailey being part of a castle), is a Crown Court centre (higher criminal court) in central London, dealing with major criminal cases in Greater London and, exceptionally, in other parts of England. It stands on the site of the medieval Newgate Gaol, in the street also called Old Bailey which is situated between Holborn circus and St Paul's Cathedral. The present building dates from 1907 and was designed by E.W. Mountford. Above the main entrance is inscribed "Defend the Children of the Poor & Punish the Wrongdoer".

All judges sitting in the Old Bailey are addressed as "My Lord" whether they be High Court, circuit judges or recorders. The Lord Mayor of London and aldermen of the City of London are entitled to sit on the judges' bench during a hearing but do not actively participate in trials.

On the dome above the court is to be found the statue of justice, a woman (without a blindfold), holding in her right hand a sword standing for the power to punish, and in her left hand a balance standing for equity.

Although most court hearings in the UK are public, Court No. 2 has the peculiarity that the witness box is placed underneath the public gallery, thus ensuring the anonymity of witnesses in trials where it is needed.

During the Blitz, the Old Bailey was bombed and severely damaged, but subsequent reconstruction work restored most of it.

From 1968 to 1972 a new South Block was built containing more modern courts.

The most senior permanent judge of the Central Criminal Court has the title of the Recorder of London, and his deputy has the title of Common Serjeant of London. The present Recorder of London is His Honour Judge Peter Beaumont QC, who was appointed in December 2004 following the death earlier that year of his predecessor, His Honour Judge Michael Hyam. The present Common Serjeant is His Honour Judge Brian Barker QC. The position of Recorder of London should not be confused with that of Recorder, which is the name given to lawyers who sit part-time as Crown Court judges. A select number of the most senior criminal lawyers in the country sit at as Recorders in the Central Criminal Court.

Sir John Mortimer, a criminal barrister, often appeared at the Old Bailey. His courtroom experiences led him to create the fictional character Horace Rumpole, alias Rumpole of the Bailey.

Trials in the Old Bailey are open to the public, like most criminal trials in the UK, but it is forbidden to take any form of note in writing, and no form of electronic equipment, including mobile phones, can be brought in. Walkmans, mobile phones, bags and radios are strictly banned from the public gallery for security reasons, and anyone unlucky enough to have their phone ring in Court is likely to find themselves sent down to the cells for contempt of court!

[edit] In popular culture

In the book A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, the Old Bailey is the courthouse named in the book where Charles Darnay is put on trial for treason.

The Old Bailey also appears in the graphic novel V for Vendetta and its film adaptation. However, it is loaded with explosives and fireworks which V set and Evey Hammond watch in the beginning of the movie.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details about V For Vendetta follow.

In the graphic novel, the anarchist protagonist has a "conversation" with the statue of justice, at the top of the building, acting as if she is an ex-girlfriend: he accuses her of cheating on him like a whore with "a man in uniform" -- the fascist regime that has taken over Britain -- but then informs her that her "infidelity" has driven him into the arms of a new "lover", Anarchy. V says that his new love has taught him that "justice" is meaningless without freedom, and then leaves a parting gift at her feet, a package of explosives which demolish the entire building, symbolising his rejection of the State in favour of Anarchism.

Evey Hammond watches as V destroys the Old Bailey.

The destruction of the monument is also present in the 2006 film adaptation, where it is the title character's first terrorist act, beginning the one year countdown to the destruction of the Houses of Parliament. What is notably different in the movie, however, is that V "devotes" his performance to "madam justice" (the aforementioned statue of justice) "in honour of the holiday she seems to have taken from these parts, and in recognition of the imposter that stands in her stead." Rather than accusing her of cheating on him, V sees justice as having abandoned her post and been replaced with the harsher punishments and standards of fascism.