Glasgow Sheriff Court | |
---|---|
55°51′10″N4°15′12″W / 55.852778°N 4.253333°W | |
Location | Glasgow |
Coordinates | 55°51′10″N4°15′12″W / 55.852778°N 4.253333°W |
Number of positions | 28 |
Sheriff Principal | |
Currently | Aisha Anwar |
Since | 2023 |
Glasgow Sheriff Court is a sheriff court in the Gorbals (Laurieston) area of Glasgow, within the sheriffdom of Glasgow and Strathkelvin. Reputedly the busiest court in Europe, [1] [2] [3] it is a Category B listed building. [4]
Until the mid-1980s, hearings took place in the Old Sheriff Court in Wilson Street. [5] However, as the number of court cases in Glasgow grew, it became necessary to commission a modern courthouse for criminal matters. The site the court officials selected had previously been occupied by the Gorbals School located on the corner of Clyde Place and Buchan Street, but also facing onto Kirk Street, all of which were cleared in the mid-20th century. [6] [7]
The new court is located at 1 Carlton Place in the Gorbals area of Glasgow, on the banks of the River Clyde and adjacent to Glasgow Central Mosque. It is a three-storey building of large cut stone construction and was designed by the local architectural firm Keppie Design. The building is notable for its imposing mock Brutalist form – with its detail interior features being strongly influenced by the style of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, with bespoke light fittings, skylights, dividing walls and lift interiors all designed to the Mackintosh language. The main atrium and circulation spaces conformed strongly to the Brutalist paradigm, with soaring exposed concrete ceilings and pillars. [8]
The building was formally opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 29 July 1986. [9] In 2008, the roof of the building was fitted with 700 square metres of solar panels, with the capacity to create some 97 kW of power. The system cost £500,000 to install, has an expected life-span of forty years, and is predicted to cut £20,000 from the Court's electricity bill, whilst saving around forty tonnes of carbon dioxide per year. [10] [11]
The court deals with both criminal and civil cases. There are currently twenty-eight sheriffs in post at Glasgow Sheriff Court (five of whom are floating sheriffs). They sit alone in civil cases and are assisted by a jury of fifteen members selected from the electoral roll in some criminal cases (cases involving solemn proceedings only). The Sheriff Principal is Aisha Anwar who replaced Sheriff Craig Turnbull in 2023. [12]
Charles Rennie Mackintosh was a Scottish architect, designer, water colourist and artist. His artistic approach had much in common with European Symbolism. His work, alongside that of his wife Margaret Macdonald, was influential on European design movements such as Art Nouveau and Secessionism and praised by great modernists such as Josef Hoffmann. Mackintosh was born in Glasgow, Scotland and died in London, England. He is among the most important figures of Modern Style.
Lanarkshire, also called the County of Lanark, is a historic county, lieutenancy area and registration county in the Central Lowlands and Southern Uplands of Scotland. The county is no longer used for local government purposes, but gives its name to the two modern council areas of North Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire.
A sheriff court is the principal local civil and criminal court in Scotland, with exclusive jurisdiction over all civil cases with a monetary value up to £100,000, and with the jurisdiction to hear any criminal case except treason, murder, and rape, which are in the exclusive jurisdiction of the High Court of Justiciary. Though the sheriff courts have concurrent jurisdiction with the High Court over armed robbery, drug trafficking, and sexual offences involving children, the vast majority of these cases are heard by the High Court. Each court serves a sheriff court district within one of the six sheriffdoms of Scotland. Each sheriff court is presided over by a sheriff, who is a legally qualified judge, and part of the judiciary of Scotland.
The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service is the independent public prosecution service for Scotland, and is a Ministerial Department of the Scottish Government. The department is headed by His Majesty's Lord Advocate, who under the Scottish legal system is responsible for prosecution, along with the sheriffdom procurators fiscal. In Scotland, virtually all prosecution of criminal offences is undertaken by the Crown. Private prosecutions are extremely rare.
A procurator fiscal, sometimes called PF or fiscal, is a public prosecutor in Scotland, who has the power to impose fiscal fines. They investigate all sudden and suspicious deaths in Scotland, conduct fatal accident inquiries and handle criminal complaints against the police. They also receive reports from specialist reporting agencies such as His Majesty's Revenue and Customs.
A fatal accident inquiry (FAI) is a Scottish judicial process which investigates and determines the circumstances of some deaths occurring in Scotland. Until 2009, they did not apply to any deaths occurring in other jurisdictions, when the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 extended the Fatal Accidents and Sudden Deaths Inquiry (Scotland) Act 1976 to service personnel at the discretion of the Chief Coroner or the Secretary of State. The equivalent process in England and Wales is an inquest. A major review of the fatal accident inquiries was undertaken by Lord Cullen of Whitekirk, at the request of the Scottish Government, which resulted in the passing of the Inquiries into Fatal Accidents and Sudden Deaths etc. (Scotland) Act 2016.
Laurieston is a district in the Gorbals area of the Scottish city of Glasgow. It is situated south of the River Clyde. It derives its name from James Laurie who, along with his brother, developed a large part of the district in the early 19th century.
Precognition in Scots law is the practice of precognoscing a witness, that is the taking of a factual statement from witnesses by both prosecution and defence after indictment or claim but before trial. This is often undertaken by trainee lawyers or precognition officers employed by firms; anecdotal evidence suggests many of these are former police officers.
The Willow Tearooms are tearooms at 217 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow, Scotland, designed by internationally renowned architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh, which opened for business in October 1903. They quickly gained enormous popularity, and are the most famous of the many Glasgow tearooms that opened in the late 19th and early 20th century. The building was fully restored, largely to Mackintosh's original designs, between 2014 and 2018. It was re-opened as working tearooms in July 2018 and trades under the name "Mackintosh at The Willow". This follows a trademark dispute with the former operator of The Willow Tearooms which was resolved in 2017. That name is now used at tearoom premises in Buchanan Street and was additionally used at the Watt Brothers Department Store in Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow between 2016 and its closure in 2019.
James Sellars was a Scottish architect who was heavily influenced by the work of Alexander Greek Thomson.
John Duncan Lowe CB was a Scottish lawyer, Crown Agent for Scotland and Sheriff of Glasgow and Strathkelvin.
The Fairfield Heritage Centre is situated on Govan Road, Glasgow, Scotland. Built as the offices of Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Co Ltd between 1889 and 1891 the building was used as the principal offices for successive owners of the adjacent shipyard until 2001, when it was vacated by BAE Systems Marine. After deteriorating unused for eight years it was bought by social enterprise charity Govan Workspace in 2009. Following a restoration costing over £5.8m it was re-occupied as a heritage centre and commercial offices in 2013.
John Keppie was a Glasgow architect and artist. From an early age he was a close friend of Edward Atkinson Hornel and would often bring in New Year with him in Kirkcudbright. Within the architectural profession, he was closest to John Archibald Campbell, and is credited with training Charles Rennie Mackintosh.
The South Portland Street Suspension Bridge is a suspension-type footbridge across the River Clyde in Glasgow, Scotland linking the City Centre on the north side to the Laurieston and Gorbals districts on the south side.
John Honeyman was a Scottish architect. He designed several notable buildings in Scotland, mostly churches, and worked alongside Charles Rennie Mackintosh as a partner for several years.
The Old Sheriff Court is a former municipal and judicial building in Wilson Street, Glasgow, Scotland. The building, which is home to the Scottish Youth Theatre, is a Category B listed building.
Hamilton Sheriff Court is a judicial building in Almada Street, Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. The building, which continues to serve as the local courthouse, is a Category A listed building.
The Old Sheriff Court is a judicial building on Hope Street in Falkirk in Scotland. The building, which currently accommodates a firm of funeral directors, is a Category B listed building.
Kilmarnock Sheriff Court is a judicial building on St Marnock Street in Kilmarnock in Scotland. The building operates as a courthouse within the sheriffdom of North Strathclyde.
The Old Sheriff Court is a judicial building on St Marnock Street in Kilmarnock in Scotland. The building, which currently accommodates the procurator fiscal's office, is a Category B listed building.