Lewes Crown Court
Encyclopedia
Lewes Crown Court is a Crown Court
in Lewes
, East Sussex
, England
. It is housed in the Lewes Combined Court Centre which it shares with Lewes County Court
in the Lewes High Street. The Portland stone
building, originally a County Hall
, was designed by John Johnson
and built between 1808 and 1812.
s.
A number of very high profile criminal trials have taken place at Lewes including the case of Roy Whiting (convicted of the murder of Sarah Payne), Graham Coutts
(convicted of the murder of schoolteacher Jane Longhurst), Andrew Wragg (manslaughter of a seriusly ill child of the family) These follow on from other notorious murder trials in the past, including serial killer
John George Haigh
.
The Crown Court holds an open day in September of each year. The public can visit the whole of the building. This includes the cells, the docks in each court and even the Judges chair. In September 2009 3500 people visited the Crown Court, a record number.
In April 2011 the New Sussex Opera Group were permitted to perform the Gilbert and Sullivan
opera
Trial by Jury
in Court number one. The organiser, and one of the star performers, was former Judge Michael Kennedy QC.
Crown Court
The Crown Court of England and Wales is, together with the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal, one of the constituent parts of the Senior Courts of England and Wales...
in Lewes
Lewes
Lewes is the county town of East Sussex, England and historically of all of Sussex. It is a civil parish and is the centre of the Lewes local government district. The settlement has a history as a bridging point and as a market town, and today as a communications hub and tourist-oriented town...
, East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is housed in the Lewes Combined Court Centre which it shares with Lewes County Court
County Court
A county court is a court based in or with a jurisdiction covering one or more counties, which are administrative divisions within a country, not to be confused with the medieval system of county courts held by the High Sheriff of each county.-England and Wales:County Court matters can be lodged...
in the Lewes High Street. The Portland stone
Portland stone
Portland stone is a limestone from the Tithonian stage of the Jurassic period quarried on the Isle of Portland, Dorset. The quarries consist of beds of white-grey limestone separated by chert beds. It has been used extensively as a building stone throughout the British Isles, notably in major...
building, originally a County Hall
County Hall
A county hall or shire hall is usual name given to a building housing a county's administration. The location of the county hall has usually denoted the county town, and as county halls have moved it has also been considered that the county town has moved, for example when Derbyshire County Council...
, was designed by John Johnson
John Johnson (architect)
John Johnson was an English architect and Surveyor to the County of Essex. He is best known for designing the Shire Hall, Chelmsford.-Life:...
and built between 1808 and 1812.
History
It is the first tier Crown Court Centre for the whole of Sussex and is presided over by a Senior Circuit Judge, known as the Resident Judge. The present Resident Judge is His Honour Judge Richard Brown DL who also holds the title of Honorary Recorder of Brighton & Hove. He has been in post for 15 years. There are 4 Crown courts at Lewes, 4 at Hove and 2 in Brighton, making it a 10 Crown court centre. There are about 10 full time Circuit Judges based at the Centre, and they are assisted from time to time by part time Judges, known as RecorderRecorder (judge)
A Recorder is a judicial officer in England and Wales. It now refers to two quite different appointments. The ancient Recorderships of England and Wales now form part of a system of Honorary Recorderships which are filled by the most senior full-time circuit judges...
s.
A number of very high profile criminal trials have taken place at Lewes including the case of Roy Whiting (convicted of the murder of Sarah Payne), Graham Coutts
Graham Coutts
Graham Coutts is the man convicted of murdering school teacher Jane Longhurst on 14 March 2003. At the time, he was a guitarist and part-time salesman living in Brighton, UK. Coutts claimed that Longhurst had died accidentally during consensual erotic asphyxiation, although the prosecution...
(convicted of the murder of schoolteacher Jane Longhurst), Andrew Wragg (manslaughter of a seriusly ill child of the family) These follow on from other notorious murder trials in the past, including serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
John George Haigh
John George Haigh
John George Haigh , commonly known as the "Acid Bath Murderer" , was an English serial killer during the 1940s. He was convicted of the murders of six people, although he claimed to have killed nine...
.
The Crown Court holds an open day in September of each year. The public can visit the whole of the building. This includes the cells, the docks in each court and even the Judges chair. In September 2009 3500 people visited the Crown Court, a record number.
In April 2011 the New Sussex Opera Group were permitted to perform the Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the librettist W. S. Gilbert and the composer Arthur Sullivan . The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S...
opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
Trial by Jury
Trial by Jury
Trial by Jury is a comic opera in one act, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It was first produced on 25 March 1875, at London's Royalty Theatre, where it initially ran for 131 performances and was considered a hit, receiving critical praise and outrunning its...
in Court number one. The organiser, and one of the star performers, was former Judge Michael Kennedy QC.
Cases
- 1920: The "Crumbles Murder caseCrumbles murdersThe Crumbles Murders may refer to one of two crimes that took place on "The Crumbles", a shingle beach between Eastbourne and Pevensey Bay — the 1920 murder of Irene Munro by Field and Gray, and the 1924 double murder of Emily Kaye and her unborn infant by Patrick Mahon.-Irene Munro:Irene...
" in which Jack Field and William Thomas were convicted of the murder of Irene Munro. - 1930: The trial of Sidney Harry Fox for the murder of his motherMatricideMatricide is the act of killing one's mother. As for any type of killing, motives can vary significantly.- Known or suspected matricides :* Amastris, queen of Heraclea, was drowned by her two sons in 284 BC....
for insurance money. - 1934: The acquittal of Tony Mancini for the "Brighton Trunk Murder" of Violet Kaye, to which he later confessed.
- 1949: John George HaighJohn George HaighJohn George Haigh , commonly known as the "Acid Bath Murderer" , was an English serial killer during the 1940s. He was convicted of the murders of six people, although he claimed to have killed nine...
, the "acid bath murderer". - 1956: John Bodkin AdamsJohn Bodkin AdamsJohn Bodkin Adams was an Irish-born British general practitioner, convicted fraudster and suspected serial killer. Between the years 1946 and 1956, more than 160 of his patients died in suspicious circumstances. Of these, 132 left him money or items in their will. He was tried and acquitted for...
, previously acquitted of murder at the Old BaileyOld BaileyThe Central Criminal Court in England and Wales, commonly known as the Old Bailey from the street in which it stands, is a court building in central London, one of a number of buildings housing the Crown Court...
, was tried at Lewes for collateral offences. - 2001: Roy Whiting was tried and convicted of the murder of Sarah Payne
- 2004: Graham CouttsGraham CouttsGraham Coutts is the man convicted of murdering school teacher Jane Longhurst on 14 March 2003. At the time, he was a guitarist and part-time salesman living in Brighton, UK. Coutts claimed that Longhurst had died accidentally during consensual erotic asphyxiation, although the prosecution...
was tried and convicted of the murder of schoolteacher Jane Longhurst. - 2004: Andrew Wragg was acquitted of murdering his son and sentenced to two years for manslaughterManslaughterManslaughter is a legal term for the killing of a human being, in a manner considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is said to have first been made by the Ancient Athenian lawmaker Dracon in the 7th century BC.The law generally differentiates...
. - 2009: Martin and Nathan Winter, and Alpha Fireworks Ltd were found guilty of the manslaughter of two East Sussex Fire & Rescue ServiceEast Sussex Fire & Rescue ServiceThe East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service is the statutory fire and rescue service for the county of East Sussex and city of Brighton and Hove. It is funded via the Council Tax.East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service has 24 fire stations.-East Sussex Wholetime:...
firefighters in the 2006 Marlie Farm Fireworks ExplosionEast Sussex Fire & Rescue ServiceThe East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service is the statutory fire and rescue service for the county of East Sussex and city of Brighton and Hove. It is funded via the Council Tax.East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service has 24 fire stations.-East Sussex Wholetime:...
. - 2010 Mrs Bridget Kathleen Gilderdale was acquitted of the attempted murder of her daughter, Lynn GilderdaleLynn GilderdaleLynette Gilderdale , also known on the internet as Jessie Oliver, was a British woman with chronic fatigue syndrome who committed suicide from morphine overdose...
(an ME sufferer)