Court Visit Report

Court : Snaresbrook Crown Court

Type of case: Criminal GBH

Building

I went on a visit to Snaresbrook Crown Court with some of my friends to check out the court
procedure and write a report about it. As we entered the building that first thing we noticed was a
notice board informing us “bringing camcorders, voice recorders, or any sharp object beyond this
point is prohibited and offenders will be prosecuted, it is against the law, 3 years imprisonment.
Breaching this notice would lead to prosecution. This is to protect people and respect their privacy.
As we entered the main doors we were approached by 2 security guards with metal detectors who
told us we’ll have to be searched before we can enter the building, they then asked us to take out
any metal objects we were carrying; and place them onto the scanner to make sure we are not
carrying any potential weapons or objects that could harm other people in the court. After being
searched we entered the main entrance and saw a reception on the left hand side, next to it we saw
a board on the wall with 3-4 papers stuck onto it, it contained the name of the people who had a
trial that day, along with the time of hearing and courtroom number. After that we wanted to go
inside one of the courtroom so we went to the reception and asked the receptionist if you could go
inside one of the courtrooms and write out a report about the court procedures. They allowed us to
enter a courtroom, sit in the public gallery and observe the hearing. By the courtroom door we met a
man called usher who advised us to switch off our mobile phones before we could enter the
courtroom as it could interrupt with the court proceedings, and to not bring any food or drink inside
the courtroom.

Roles in the courtroom:

There were a number of people in the courtroom who were involved with the trial this included; 1
judge, 1 solicitor, 2 barristers (1 for the defendant and the other from the Crown Prosecution Service
(CPS), 2 security guards, 1 defendant and 1 probation officer.

How the case proceeded

When we entered the courtroom, the Solicitors, Barristers, Security Guards, Defendant, Probation
Officer and the Ushers were already seated and preparing themselves for the hearing. As the judge
entered the courtroom we all had to stand up for a while till the judge was seated this is to show
respect and his superiority, and then we could all sit down. After the judge sat down we saw the
usher then bringing a bible and asked the defendant to swear to the truth and nothing but the truth.
After all the comments from the defendant, the judge asked the defendant how he pleads, and he
said Not Guilty. He was then taken into a glass looking room, it was transparent to everyone, the
defendant was seated with a probation officer for the rest of the case. The judge then adjourned the
case to a later date and the defendant was bailed out and ordered to appear at that date. This
means the case has been deferred to a later date to allow the prosecution service to collect and find
as much evidence as they can and to give time for the judge to study the case in more detail before
coming to a conclusion.