Crown Court

n

(in England and Wales) a local court in larger towns and cities where serious criminal cases are tried by a judge and jury. Cases may come to the Crown Court when a magistrates’ court decides that they are too serious for it to deal with. If a decision of the Crown Court is questioned, the case goes to the Court of Appeal.

See also county court. ➡ note at legal system.

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▪ British law

      a court system sitting in England and Wales and dealing largely with criminal cases. Created under the Courts Act of 1971, the Crown Court replaced the Crown Court of Liverpool, the Crown Court of Manchester, the Central Criminal Court in London (the Old Bailey), and all the other old assize and quarter sessions courts. From 1966 to 1969 a royal commission chaired by Richard Beeching, Baron Beeching, studied the feasibility of converting all the existing assizes and quarter sessions courts into a system of Crown Courts to meet the growing case loads across the nation, and the commission's recommendations became the Courts Act of 1971.

      The Crown Court hears trials on indictment, as well as sentencings and appeals from the magistrates' courts. There are six court circuits: southeastern (with London as the administrative centre); Wales and Chester (with Cardiff as the centre): western (Bristol); midland and Oxford (Birmingham); northeastern (Leeds); and northern (Manchester). The Crown Court is governed under the directives of the lord chief justice, with the agreement of the lord chancellor.

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