Court’s first open day was a chance to witness justice
THE first ever open day at Burton Magistrates’ Court exceeded all expectations with hundreds of people turning out to see local justice in action.
The event in September 2003 was staged to allow people to see what went on in the Horninglow Street court — a building most people would normally not have cause to enter.
Visitors were able to look around the court including the magistrates’ rooms which members of the public would not normally be allowed to enter.
They were also able to speak to representatives from bodies such as the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and the Youth Offending Team.
Members of the public were also treated to a first-hand taste of how British justice is dished out at local level in a series of mock trials.
During the ‘trials’, people in the audience were invited to have their say on how the court should deal with a single mother accused of burglary and a juvenile offender.
Kevin Kiely, chairman of the Burton Magistrates’ Bench, said: “It was excellent. I think we had more than 500 people throughout the day and everyone seemed to be interested in what was happening.
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