Magistrate Courts

Magistrates are an important part of the criminal justice service. They make judicial decisions of minor criminal offences or remit more serious criminal offences to the crown court. Magistrates are unpaid and sit with qualified legal advisors. I attended a bench meeting at Highbury magistrates Court.    

I also took part in an anti knife crime event that was held at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, sitting on the bench with the District Judge andSenior Magistrate HHJ Tan Ikram. The event was attended by students from two schools, officers from the CPS and defence barrister. This is the link to the .gov report on the event: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/westminster-magistrates-court-hosts-anti-knife-crime-event-for-local-london-schools 

Around 30 school children aged 14-16 took over courtroom 10 at Westminster Magistrates’ Court for the event, participating in a mock trial arranged by National Justice Museum and learning about the consequences of knife crime. 

The event, organised by HMCTS legal adviser Ian Rawlins, brought together pupils from areas most affected by knife crime and featured speakers from the justice system, Metropolitan Police, charities such as Steel Warriors and StreetDoctors, and professional footballer Kayne Ramsay of Charlton Athletic Football Club.