UK COURTS: THE OLD BAILEY
the nickname for The Central Criminal Court of England and Wales
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The Old Bailey in
located in London, about 200 yards (around 183 metres) northwest of St Paul's
Cathedral.
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A bailey is a fortified wall.
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The
court is nicknamed after the road the court is situated on.
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The Old Bailey is
a Crown Court
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The Old Bailey sits
where there used to be the infamous medieval Newgate Prison.
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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.
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Above
the main entrance it says: "Defend the Children of the Poor & Punish
the Wrongdoer".
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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.
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Trials
at the Old Bailey, as at other courts, are
open to the public; however, they are subject
to stringent security procedures.
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All
judges sitting in the Old Bailey are addressed
as "My Lord" or "My Lady".
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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)
