| Reading Crown Court | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | Reading, Berkshire |
| Coordinates | 51°27′22″N0°58′01″W / 51.4562°N 0.967°W Coordinates: 51°27′22″N0°58′01″W / 51.4562°N 0.967°W |
| Built | 1861 |
| Architect | John Clacy |
| Architectural style(s) | Baroque revival style |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
| Designated | 14 December 1978 |
| Reference no. | 1113476 |
  Location of Reading Crown Court in Berkshire | |
Reading Crown Court is a judicial facility in Reading, Berkshire. It is a Grade II listed building. [1]
The building, which was designed by the county surveyor, John Clacy, in the Baroque revival style and built at a cost of £21,644, was completed in 1861. [1] [2] It became the main venue for the assizes from 1867 when Abingdon County Hall ceded that role to Reading. [3] The design involved a symmetrical main frontage with seven bays facing onto The Forbury with the end bays projected forward; the central section of five bays featured a three-bay portico with Doric order columns; there were round headed sash windows flanked by Ionic order columns on the first floor. [1] The complex included the county police station which was built behind the courthouse. [4]
Following the implementation of the Local Government Act 1888, which established county councils in every county, it also became the meeting place for Berkshire County Council. [5] The administrative staff and committee rooms of the county council were accommodated in the Shire Hall next door. [6] Following the implementation of the Courts Act 1971, the former assizes court was re-designated Reading Crown Court. [7] In 1981 the county council moved to a new Shire Hall at Shinfield Park and subsequently it was used solely by the Crown Court. [6]
Important cases heard by Reading Crown Court included the trial and conviction of Leslie Bailey for the murder of Mark Tildesley in December 1992 [8] and the trial and conviction of Llewellyn Adams, Indrit Krasniqi, Michael Johnson, Jamaile Morally, Joshua Morally and Adrian Thomas for the murder of Mary-Ann Leneghan in March 2012. [9] It was also the venue for the Munir Hussain case, in which a businessman, Munir Hussain, was tried and convicted of assaulting a burglar, Walid Salem, in December 2009. [10]
The initial stages of the trial of Jed Foster for the killing of Andrew Harper were also heard at Reading Crown Court in August 2019, [11] but on 19 September the Crown Prosecution Service said that they had discontinued the case against him. [12] [13] [14]
In the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, a county town is the most important town or city in a county. It is usually the location of administrative or judicial functions within a county and the place where the county's members of Parliament are elected. Following the establishment of the English county councils in 1889, the headquarters of the new councils were usually located in the county town of each county. However, the concept of a county town pre-dates the establishment of these councils.
Lewes Crown Court is a Crown Court venue in Lewes High Street, Lewes, East Sussex, England. It forms part of the Lewes Combined Court Centre which it shares with Lewes County Court. The building, which was known as the "County Hall" from an early stage, was also the headquarters of East Sussex County Council from 1889 to 1938: it is a Grade II* listed building.
A Shire court, or moot was an Anglo-Saxon legal institution, used to maintain law and order at a local level, and perform various administrative functions, including the collection of taxes for the central government.
Historically, the English county of Berkshire has been bordered to the north by the ancient boundary of the River Thames. However, much of the border with Oxfordshire in the western part of the county was moved in 1974.
Y Gaer is a municipal structure in Glamorgan Street, Brecon, Powys, Wales. The complex, which includes a museum, an art gallery and a library and incorporates a structure which was once the shire hall for Brecknockshire, is a Grade II* listed building.
The courts of assize, or assizes, were periodic courts held around England and Wales until 1972, when together with the quarter sessions they were abolished by the Courts Act 1971 and replaced by a single permanent Crown Court. The assizes exercised both civil and criminal jurisdiction, though most of their work was on the criminal side. The assizes heard the most serious cases, most notably those subject to capital punishment or later life imprisonment. Other serious cases were dealt with by the quarter sessions, while the more minor offences were dealt with summarily by justices of the peace in petty sessions.
St Albans Town Hall, sometimes known as the Old Town Hall or The Courthouse, is a 19th-century building in St Albans, Hertfordshire, England. The building, which now accommodates the St Albans Museum, is a Grade II* listed building.
The Shire Hall is a municipal building in Fore Street, Hertford, the county town of Hertfordshire, England. The building, which currently serves as a Magistrates' Court, is a Grade I listed building.
Shire Hall is an 18th-century courthouse in Dorchester, Dorset. The building was the centre of law, order and government, and served as the county hall for Dorset until 1955. It has been Grade I listed since 1950. In 2018, the hall opened as the Shire Hall Historic Courthouse Museum.
Gloucester Crown Court is a Crown Court venue which deals with criminal cases at Bearland, Gloucester, England. The court, which is located at the back of Gloucester Shire Hall, is a grade II listed building.
The Moot Hall is a courthouse at Castle Garth in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The structure, which overlooks the Tyne Bridge, is a Grade I listed building.
Taunton Shire Hall is a municipal building on Shuttern in Taunton, Somerset. The Shire Hall, which serves as a Crown Court, is a Grade II listed building.
County Hall, Derby is a municipal building in St Mary's Gate in Derby, England. The building, which was the headquarters of Derbyshire County Council from 1889 to 1955, is a Grade I listed building.
On 15 August 2019, 28-year-old English police constable Andrew Harper was killed near Sulhamstead, Berkshire, England in the line of duty. Harper and a fellow officer were responding to a report of a burglary, after which Harper was dragged behind a car for a mile (1.6 km), causing his death. In July 2020, three teenage males were found guilty of manslaughter and received sentences of 16 and 13 years imprisonment. They were acquitted on the charge of murder. Harper's killing led to the passing of Harper's Law, which introduced a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment for anyone convicted of killing emergency workers.
The Shire Hall is a municipal building in Foregate Street in Worcester, England. It is a Grade II* listed building.
The Shire Hall is a municipal building in St Paul's Square, Bedford, Bedfordshire. The shire hall, which was the headquarters of Bedfordshire County Council from 1888 to 1969, is a Grade II listed building.
Shire Hall is a former judicial facility at Mount Folly Square in Bodmin, Cornwall. It was the main courthouse in Cornwall from 1838 to 1988. It is a Grade II* listed building.
The Shire Hall is a municipal structure in the High Street, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales. The shire hall, which was the meeting place of the old Pembrokeshire County Council, is a Grade II* listed building.
The Shire Hall is a municipal structure in Broad Street, Presteigne, Powys, Wales. The building incorporates a well-preserved courtroom and a museum known as "the Judge's Lodging". Once the judicial centre for Radnorshire, is a Grade II* listed building.
Durham Crown Court is a Crown Court venue which deals with criminal cases at Old Elvet, Durham, England. Located immediately to the north of Durham Prison, it is a Grade II* listed building.