The UK Crown Court handles serious crimes and has over 90 seats in England and Wales. It oversees juvenile and adult cases and has a hierarchical judicial system. The High Court has limited control over the Crown Court, which was established in 1971 to replace smaller courts. Juveniles who commit heinous crimes are often sent to the Crown Court, and there are guidelines for cases that can be heard there. The Crown Court is a constituent of the Supreme Court of Judicature and has handled high-profile cases, such as that of ‘The Crossbow Cannibal’ in 2010.
The UK Crown Court has more than 90 seats in England and Wales. Its main purpose is to handle crimes of a serious nature. Cases are often sent from magistrates’ courts, the lowest courts in England, to the Crown Court due to the seriousness of the offence. The Crown Court oversees juvenile and adult cases, which are heard by a 12-person panel and a High Court judge. Within the court, there is a hierarchical judicial system consisting of three types of judges, but most cases are heard by the High Court judge.
The High Court of England has limited control over the Crown Court, mainly due to the length of time it takes to appeal to this higher court, so it mostly acts on its own initiative. The Crown Court was established by the Courts Act 1971 in an attempt to improve the UK judicial system by replacing a disorganized series of smaller courts. The disorganization was due to the many jurisdictions and the rotation of High Court judges to hear individual cases. Courts located in England and Wales now have their own judges and no longer need a rotating circuit of judges.
Juveniles who go to Crown Court instead of Youth Court have often committed heinous crimes, such as murder or indecent assault. There is a small selection of cases that are actually sent to the Crown Court under certain guidelines. Some of these guidelines include cases not applicable for a summary trial, a trial heard by magistrates’ court, a juvenile case too serious to be heard in a lesser court, and actionable-only cases, which are criminal cases with irrefutable evidence.
The Crown Court is a constituent of the Supreme Court of Judicature in England and Wales. An example of an extreme Crown Court case is a high-profile case which created a media frenzy in 2010. On 21 December 2010, Stephen Griffiths, nicknamed ‘The Crossbow Cannibal’, was sentenced to life in prison by Leeds Crown Court for murder, dismemberment and cannibalism.
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