Newcastle_Crown_Court

Newcastle Law Courts

Newcastle Law Courts

Judicial building in Newcastle upon Tyne, England

The Newcastle Law Courts is a Crown Court venue, which deals with criminal cases, as well as a magistrates' court venue, on the Quayside in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.

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History

Until the 1980s, all Crown Court cases were heard in the Moot Hall at Castle Garth.[1] However, as the number of court cases in Newcastle upon Tyne grew, it became necessary to commission a more modern courthouse for criminal matters: the site selected by the Lord Chancellor's Department had been occupied by some dilapidated shops and warehouses and formed part of a larger development by Tyne and Wear Development Corporation to re-develop the East Quayside area.[2][3][4]

Construction on the new building commenced in 1984.[5] It was designed by local architects, Napper Collerton, in the modern style, built by John Laing Construction in red sandstone from Dumfriesshire at a cost of £17.1 million,[6] and was completed in 1990.[7][8][9] The design involved a symmetrical main frontage of nine bays facing on to the Quayside. The central bay, which was projected forward, was formed by a full-height glass atrium with a curved roof. The wings featured twelve full-height columns supporting a gallery. The rear elevation featured a series of oculi intended to recall nautical portholes. Internally, the building was laid out to accommodate 17 courtrooms.[10]

Notable cases heard at the crown court include the trial and conviction of the nurse, Colin Norris, in March 2008, for the murder of four elderly patients and the attempted murder of another in two hospitals in Leeds,[11][12] the trial and conviction of Yusuf Jama, in December 2006, and of Mustaf Jama, in July 2009, for the murder of Sharon Beshenivsky,[13][14] and the trial and conviction of Carl Beech, in July 2019, following a police investigation into false allegations of historic child abuse, on charges of perverting the course of justice, fraud and child sex abuse.[15][16][17]

References

  1. [1]
    Historic England. "Moot Hall (1116297)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  2. [2]
    Ritson, Darren W. (2012). Newcastle East Through Time. Amberley Publishing. ISBN 9781445629681.
  3. [3]
    "Ordnance Survey Map". 1900. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  4. [4]
    "So how far has the City evolved to become the "Brasilia" of the north?". The Journal. 20 October 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  5. [5]
    "Law Courts, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK". Manchester History. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  6. [6]
    "Capital Building Programme". Hansard. 26 January 1996. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  7. [7]
    "An exterior view of the recently completed Newcastle Law Courts from north-west on Broad Chare". Historic England. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  8. [8]
    "Newcastle Law Courts". Napper Architects. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  9. [9]
    Mulcahy, Linda; Rowden, Emma (2019). The Democratic Courthouse: A Modern History of Design, Due Process and Dignity. Taylor and Francis. ISBN 978-0429558689.
  10. [10]
    "Newcastle". Ministry of Justice. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  11. [11]
    "Killer nurse must serve 30 years". BBC News. 4 March 2008. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  12. [12]
    "Nurse sentenced for Leeds murders". RTÉ. 4 March 2008. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  13. [13]
    "The shocking killing of rookie Bradford policewoman Sharon Beshenivsky, gunned down outside a travel agent". Examiner Live. 18 November 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  14. [14]
    "Man guilty of Beshenivsky murder". BBC News. 22 July 2009. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  15. [15]
    "Carl Beech: Liar, fraudster and paedophile". BBC News. 23 July 2019. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  16. [16]
    "Carl Beech, VIP paedophile ring accuser, jailed for 18 years". The Guardian. 26 July 2019. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  17. [17]
    "Carl Beech: Ex-nurse found guilty of inventing murderous VIP Westminster paedophile ring". The Evening Standard. 22 July 2019. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
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