Nottingham Crown Court

Nottingham Crown Court, or more formally the High Court of Justice and Crown Court, Nottingham is a Crown Court and meeting place of the High Court of Justice on Canal Street in Nottingham, England. The building also accommodates the County Court and the Family Court.

Nottingham Crown Court
Elevated view of a light coloured building alongside a road
Nottingham Crown and County Courts front on Canal Street as seen from the top of the former Broadmarsh shopping centre
Low level view of a light coloured building alongside a canal
Rear view from the Nottingham Canal
Nottingham Crown Court
LocationCanal Street, Nottingham
Coordinates52°56′54″N 1°08′48″W / 52.9483°N 1.1466°W / 52.9483; -1.1466
Built1981
ArchitectProperty Services Agency
Architectural style(s)Modern style
Nottingham Crown Court is located in Nottinghamshire
Nottingham Crown Court
Shown in Nottinghamshire

History

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Until the early 1980s, the Crown Court sat in the Shire Hall on High Pavement.[1] However, as the number of court cases in Nottingham grew, it became necessary to commission a more substantial courthouse for criminal matters. The site selected by the Lord Chancellor's Department on Canal Street was occupied by a row of shops (including a baker's shop owned by the amateur astronomer, Thomas Bush)[2] and an old canal-side factory.[3]

The new building was designed by architects, P. Harvard, K. Bates and J. Mansell, on behalf of the Property Services Agency and faced with buff stone.[4] The building was opened in two phases: the first phase, which cost £2.2 million,[5] opened in 1980[6] and the second phase, which cost £6.2 million,[5] opened in 1988.[7] The design involved a glass atrium which projected forward, connecting two wings which were faced with extensive expanses of stone. Internally, the building was equipped with nine courtrooms.[8]

High-profile cases

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  • February 1984 – Conviction of Norman Smith for the murder of Susan Renhard[9]
  • May 1993 – Conviction of nurse Beverley Allitt for the murder and attempted murder of 13 children at Grantham and Kesteven Hospital[10]
  • July 2004 – Conviction of Alan Pennell, 16, for the murder of Luke Walmsley, 14[11]
  • May 2005 – Conviction of Peter Williams for the murder of jeweller Marian Bates[12]
  • October 2005 – Conviction of Mark Kelly and Junior Andrews for the murder of schoolgirl Danielle Beccan[13]
  • December 2009 – Conviction of Susan Bacon, Michael Bacon and Peter Jacques for the murder of gamekeeper Nigel Bacon[14]
  • January 2010 – Conviction of Stewart Hutchinson, jailed for life for the murder of Colette Aram[15]
  • January 2011 – Collapse of the trial of climate protestors charged with conspiring to shut down Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station[16]
  • April 2013 – Conviction of Mick Philpott and others for the manslaughter of six of his children in a house fire in Derby[17]
  • June 2014 – Conviction of Susan Edwards and husband Christopher Edwards for the murders of her parents in 1998, both sentenced to 25 years[18]
  • July 2012 and July 2015 – Conviction of Charlotte Collinge in 2012 for the murder of husband Clifford Collinge, sentenced to 23 years with two accomplices both sentenced to 18 years.[19] Following a 2015 re-trial, Charlotte Collinge was cleared and accomplices found guilty with sentences re-imposed[20]
  • January 2024 – Valdo Calocane, the perpetrator of 2023 Nottingham attacks, sentenced to be detained at Ashworth Hospital for the rest of his life after he killed three victims.[21]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Armitage, Jill (2015). Nottingham A History. Amberley Publishing. ISBN 978-1445635194.
  2. ^ Pearson, Richard (1 April 2014). Astronomer Thomas William Bush: The Baker of Nottingham. p. 9.
  3. ^ Woodward, Graham. "The Nottingham Canal in Pictures" (PDF). p. 17. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  4. ^ Harwood, Elain (2008). Nottingham. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-12666-2.
  5. ^ a b "Capital Building Programme". Hansard. 26 January 1996. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  6. ^ Mulcahy, Linda; Rowden, Emma (2019). The Democratic Courthouse: A Modern History of Design, Due Process and Dignity. Taylor and Francis. ISBN 978-0429558689.
  7. ^ Beckett, J. V.; Brand, Ken (1997). Nottingham: An Illustrated History. Manchester University Press. ISBN 978-0719051753.
  8. ^ "Nottingham Crown Court". The Law Pages. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  9. ^ ITN Digital News Archive
  10. ^ "Allitt given life for murdering Ward 4 children: Judge tells former". The Independent. 29 May 1993. Archived from the original on 21 June 2022.
  11. ^ "Pupil who murdered Luke gets life term". The Scotsman. 27 July 2004. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011.
  12. ^ "Life sentence for jeweller killer". BBC. 5 May 2005. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  13. ^ "Two convicted of Danielle murder". BBC. 12 October 2005. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  14. ^ "Wife and son jailed for killing". BBC. 21 December 2009. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  15. ^ "Man sentenced to life for 1983 murder of Colette Aram". BBC News. 25 January 2010. Archived from the original on 28 January 2010. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
  16. ^ "Trial of six eco-activists collapses as undercover policeman 'goes native'". Evening Standard. 12 April 2012. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  17. ^ "Philpott trial day 2: Court hears how police bugged Philpotts' hotel room after fire". This is Derbyshire. 12 February 2013. Archived from the original on 15 February 2013.
  18. ^ Mansfield couple jailed for life for murdering parents itv.com, 20 June 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2021
  19. ^ Clifford Collinge murder: Wife jailed for 23 years BBC News, 31 July 2012. Retrieved 29 October 2021
  20. ^ Clifford Collinge widow Charlotte cleared after murder retrial BBC News, 3 July 2015. Retrieved 29 October 2021
  21. ^ "'Justice not served,' says Nottingham victim's mother as Valdo Calocane sentenced". The Guardian. 25 January 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
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