High Court headlines
The Royal Courts of Justice on the Strand
The Royal Courts of Justice have always been in the papers, but I didn’t realise just how many stories they provide until our visit there on Friday.
The BBC Home Affairs correspondent, and lecturer, Danny Shaw thought it would be interesting to visit the High Courts on Strand. I had never been before so kept my eye out for any related stories in the news last week to see if I could learn anything prior to the visit.
I didn’t have to try hard looking for stories, because two were repeatedly in the headlines this week.
Madonna and Guy Richie’s divorce quietly took place at 10am on Friday, half an hour before we arrived, and lasted just a few minutes. Neither of them showed up to the hearing, but nevertheless the paparazzi were swarming outside, just in case.
Their case – Ciccone M L v Ritchie G S – was listed before District Judge Reid and was announced in Court 10 of the Principal Registry of the High Court’s Family Division, along with 16 others. The public can not access the Family courts.
Michael Jackson due at the High Courts
The other headline is, of course, Michael Jackson’s much anticipated appearance tomorrow in Court 23. He will be giving evidence over claims he breached a music contract with an Arab sheikh.
The case is set to attract a lot of fans, and press and there will be a limited number of seats in order to watch the hearing.
During our visit on Friday we sat in on various cases, including an appeal against a drugs charges and an appeal against a child pornography sentence. Both of these cases had been in national or regional newspapers already. Several contacts of the 21/7 bombers were appealing charges in another court room.
All of this during a mere 2 hour visit to the courts. So many news stories are generated from the building that the BBC even have their own room, and the Press Association have at least 2 full time reporters covering cases.
So many high profile cases are being resolved at the High Courts, and not just British ones. According to the Independent, London is the place to be for legal “tourists”.
November 23, 2008 at 10:48 pm
Disappointingly Michael Jackson will no longer be appearing at the High Courts tomorrow. He has settled the case out of court.