Chichester Crown Court Explained

Chichester Crown Court
Location:Chichester, West Sussex
Built:1940
Architect:Cecil George Stillman
Architecture:Modernist style

Chichester Crown Court is a Crown Court venue in Southgate, Chichester, West Sussex, England. The court is administered by HM Courts and Tribunals Service.

History

The first incarnation of the building was completed in 1940 and was estimated to have cost £27,570 to build.[1] The two courtrooms were initially used for Quarter Sessions before the Courts Act 1972 created the Crown Courts of England and Wales.[2]

The court closed in 2017 before re-opening after the COVID-19 pandemic, to deal with the case backlog, as a satellite court of Lewes Combined Court.[3]

Today, the court hears criminal cases that are tried by jury. Notable cases include the trial of the Brighton Cat Killer, Stephen Bouquet.[4] The Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger also appeared there in 1967 on drugs charges.[5]

Notes and References

  1. News: 4 March 1938 . Chichester's New Court House . Portsmouth Evening News . 1.
  2. Web site: Historic . England . August 2016 . Law Courts and Courtrooms 1: The Buildings of the Criminal Law .
  3. Web site: Ministry of Justice . 3 August 2023 . Temporary Nightingale courts and extra court capacity . 10 February 2024.
  4. News: 24 June 2021 . Steven Bouquet: Owners found cats injured on doorsteps, court told . BBC News.
  5. Web site: 11 February 2024 . 1967: Two Rolling Stones on drugs charges . BBC News.