UK courts: THE OLD BAILEY

UK COURTS: THE OLD BAILEY

the nickname for The Central Criminal Court of England and Wales

Ø  The Old Bailey in located in London, about 200 yards (around 183 metres) northwest of St Paul's Cathedral.

Ø  A bailey is a fortified wall.

Ø  The court is nicknamed after  the road the court is situated on.

Ø  The Old Bailey is a Crown Court

Ø  The Old Bailey sits where there used to be the infamous medieval Newgate Prison.

Ø  Dead Man's Walk is the path that the convicted took from their cells to the gallows. It is an arched passage that with every couple of steps gets more and more narrow.

Ø  Above the main entrance it says: "Defend the Children of the Poor & Punish the Wrongdoer".

Ø  On the dome above the court stands a bronze statue of Lady Justice holding a sword in her right hand and the scales of justice in her left, yet she is not blindfolded.

Ø  Trials at the Old Bailey, as at other courts, are open to the public; however, they are subject to stringent security procedures.

Ø  All judges sitting in the Old Bailey are addressed as "My Lord" or "My Lady".

Ø  Daniel Defoe, Oscar Wilde, Dr Crippen, the Kray Twins, Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe and, more recently, disgraced politician Jeffrey Archer and Soham murderer Ian Huntley have all faced their nemeses in the Old Bailey dock.

a CROWN COURT – sąd koronny (the higher court of first instance in criminal cases, as opposed to the magistrates’ court)

THE CONVICTED – skazani (those who have been declared guilty of a crime)

a GALLOWS (also A SCAFFOLD) – szubienica (a frame, typically wooden, used for execution by hanging)

LADY JUSTICE/ THEMIS/JUSTITIA – Temida, Iustitia, żeńskie uosobienie sprawiedliwości (a female personification of justice)

THE SCALE(S) OF JUSTICE – waga sprawiedliwości (scales held by Lady Justice to symbolise the measure of a case's support and opposition)

to be BLINDFOLDED – mieć opaskę na oczach (to have your eyes covered)

SUBJECT TO STRINGENT SECURITY PROCEDURES – podlegają ścisłym procedurom bezpieczeństwa (strict rules of security are in place)

a NEMESIS – nieunikniona kara (punishment that is deserved and cannot be avoided)

THE DOCK – miejsce dla oskarżonego (the defendant’s place in the courtroom, the place where the accused sits)

(1) I had to go to the Old Bailey, to me that was the epitome of achievement as a barrister. There’s something very special about appearing there.

(2) The trial took place in the Old Bailey before the Lord Chief Justice of England, the Master of the Rolls and Mr. Justice Greer.

(3) I stood trial at the Old Bailey on two counts of murder. I pleaded not guilty. Despite my contrition, when it came to it I just did not have the character to confess to such appalling behaviour, let alone face the prospect of untold years in prison. After eight days in the dock and four hours of jury deliberations I was found guilty on both counts. The judge sentenced me to two terms of life imprisonment with a recommendation that I serve, "... at least 14 years". My co-accused also received life.

a BARRISTER – adwokat (a lawyer in England and Wales whose main role is to represent clients in court; wears a gown and a wig; is a member of one of the four Inns of Court; has completed Bar Professional Training Course and a 12-month pupillage; often shares Chambers (the office) with other barristers; 1 in 20 barristers can work directly with private clients, others work through solicitors)

to APPEAR (IN COURT) – występować przed sądem (to be in court officially because you are involved in a trial as a lawyer, a party, a witness, an expert witness, etc.)

THE LORD CHIEF JUSTICE OF ENGLAND AND WALES – Lord Najwyższy Sędzia Anglii i Walii (the head of the judiciary and President of the Courts of England and Wales; the nominal President of the Criminal Division of the Court of Appeal and Head of Criminal Justice, but can appoint another judge to these positions under the 2005 Act)

THE MASTER OF THE ROLLS – Przewodniczący Wydziału Cywilnego Sądu Apelacyjnego (the second most senior judge in England and Wales after the Lord Chief Justice; serves as President of the Civil Division of the Court of Appeal and Head of Civil Justice)

JUSTICE – sędzia ((usually a senior) judge)

MR/MRS/MS JUSTICE – Sędzia (a title given before the name of a judge)

to STAND TRIAL – stanąć przed sądem, być sądzonym (be tried in a court of law)

a COUNT– zarzut (each separate charge in a criminal action)

to PLEAD NOT GUILTY – nie przyznać się do zarzucanego czynu (to say that you are not responsible for a crime)

CONTRITION – skrucha (remorse, regret for a sin or wrongdoing)

IN THE DOCK – w miejscu dla oskarżonego (in the defendant’s place in the courtroom, the place where the accused sits)

a DELIBERATION – narada (the act of considering (thinking about), discussing, and, hopefully, reaching a conclusion)

FOUND GUILTY ON BOTH COUNTS – uznany za winnego obu zarzutów (declared responsible for the two crimes)

TWO TERMS of – podwójna kara (multiple sentence (punishment), here: double)

LIFE IMPRISONMENT – kara dożywotniego pozbawienia wolności (the punishment of being sent to prison for the rest of your life; life imprisonment does not necessarily mean being sent to prison for life. For example, in the UK a judge must set a minimum term, after which a prisoner can be considered for early release)

to SERVE (14 YEARS/ TIME) – odbywać karę pozbawienia wolności (to spend a period of time in prison for a particular crime)

to RECEIVE LIFE – dostać dożywocie (kara dożywotniego pozbawienia wolności) (slang for being punished to life imprisonment)