https://insidehmcts.blog.gov.uk/justice-without-barriers-the-northampton-crown-court-story-podcast-transcript/
Justice Without Barriers: The Northampton Crown Court Story - podcast transcript
Aaron: Welcome to Inside HMCTS, the podcast that takes you behind the scenes of Britain’s courts and tribunals, I’m Aaron.
Sian: And I’m Sian and we’re from the HMCTS Communications team. And in this episode we discuss a case that could have fallen apart, but didn’t, thanks to some extraordinary teamwork.
Aaron: That’s right. We’re going to Northampton Crown Court, that hosted a trial that normally would’ve been heard at the Old Bailey in London. And the reason? The defendant had such complex medical and mobility needs that transporting him just wasn’t possible.
Sian: The court just wasn’t built for it. And yet, thanks to some inspired problem-solving, teamwork, and determination, justice was delivered.
Let’s set the scene. The defendant was accused of murdering a custody officer. In the same incident, he turned the gun on himself, leaving him with severe brain injuries and confined to a wheelchair.
Aaron: Now normally, a case of this seriousness would be heard at the Old Bailey. But transporting the defendant to London, several hours each way, plus the medical support that would be required, would have made a fair trial almost impossible.
Sian: In researching this episode, we spoke to Adrian, the operations manager for Northamptonshire’s courts, and he told us about the first conversation he had, a phone call from a High Court Judge’s clerk, asking if they could host the trial because the defendant had particular mobility needs. At first, he thought, this sounded tricky, but as always, his starting point was: we want to help, we want to make this work.
Aaron: The problem? Northampton Crown Court is a very old building that wasn’t really cut out of this type of trial originally. Seven flights of stairs separate the cells from the courtroom. No lifts. No routes for a wheelchair.
Sian: Nick, the court delivery manager we spoke to put it bluntly: This was an old court that could accommodate people with mobility issues. So, a lot of changes just to get the defendant into the building would need to be made.
Aaron: And then there was the question of dignity. How do you bring in a high-profile defendant securely, without turning it into a spectacle for the media?
Sian: Gaye, who was the clerk for the trial, told us of the importance of protecting the defendant’s wellbeing and dignity, while still making sure the court was safe and justice could be done.
Aaron: The team began brainstorming. Adrian told us how they met with police and healthcare staff, looking at every possible route. In the end, they used what used to be the staff café as an entrance. They cleared it out, risk-assessed it, and installed a temporary lift.
Inside the courtroom, further changes were needed. Nick detailed how they had ramps installed into the dock. This involved taking out seats so the wheelchair could fit. They also had screens and hearing aids so the defendant could follow what was going on, because he also had hearing difficulties.
Sian: And outside the courtroom, adjustments too. Disabled toilets were locked and reserved exclusively for the defendant and were searched daily by security. Separate waiting rooms were set aside, one for the victim’s family, another for the defendant, and even one for members of the media.
Aaron: And then came the trial itself. Because of his condition, the defendant couldn’t sit for long stretches.
Sian: Gaye explained: it was granted that during the prosecution’s case, they’d sit for 30 minutes at a time. But when the defendant gave evidence, it was 20 minutes before a break. And the judge kept to that timetable rigidly.
Aaron: Another challenge was communication. The defendant could barely speak. Instead, he wrote his answers on a whiteboard. Normally, court proceedings are recorded on microphones. But silent handwriting? That couldn’t be captured.
Sian: So, Gaye improvised and set up a tiny webcam on a laptop, just the kind used for staff meetings. She placed it on the table in front of the defendant, pressed record, and every twenty minutes saved the file. That way the court had a visual record of his evidence.
Aaron: We’ve not seen another court that had done anything like this before. But with some creative thinking, they made it work. Simple, low-cost and it preserved the evidence properly for appeal if needed.
Sian: Of course, this wasn’t happening in a vacuum. The victim was a police officer. Emotions were high. Media interest was intense.
Aaron: Nick told us about the high level of interest, family, media, even other officers. At one point they had to open another courtroom just so people could watch on screens what was happening in the main court.
Sian: Security was stepped up. Police from the Met and Northamptonshire forces were stationed throughout the building. Corridors were cleared before the defendant moved anywhere. Ambulances with blacked-out windows brought the defendant in each day.
Aaron: Adrian said it best, how this was a really good example of collaborative working. It couldn’t have been done alone. Police, healthcare, security, facilities, everyone had to be creative and open for it to work.
Sian: And everyone had to know what was going on. They all had crucial jobs, one guard not at the right door could have caused a problem with the gates. It showed how every piece had to fit together.
Aaron: In the end, the trial ran smoothly. The jury heard everything. The families were accommodated. The media got access. And above all, justice was done.
Sian: When the trial finished, it was a massive relief. But as Adrian put it, it felt like exactly what they were there for. Proving that justice can be delivered, even when the circumstances are extreme.
Aaron: This trial could have been delayed, derailed, or deemed impossible. But instead, with creativity and teamwork, justice was served.
Sian: And maybe that’s the lesson here, courts aren’t just bricks and mortar, they’re people. People adapting, improvising, and solving problems so that fairness prevails.
Aaron: That’s it for this episode of Inside HMCTS. Thank you so much for joining us.
Sian: We’ll be back next time with another story from behind the scenes of the justice system.
