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48-839: He was convicted at the Old Bailey in 1984 of offences under section 1 of the Official Secrets Act 1911 after passing sensitive documents to the Soviet Embassy in London and attempting to act as an agent-in-place for the Soviet Union . His trial was conducted in camera but some of the press reporting is available. Born into modest circumstances in Fenton , Stoke on Trent , Bettaney later attended Pembroke College, Oxford , where he studied English in 1969-72, and

96-522: A courtroom , and the building as a courthouse ; court facilities range from simple and very small facilities in rural communities to large complex facilities in urban communities. The practical authority given to the court is known as its jurisdiction (from Latin iūrisdictiō , from iūris , "of the law ", + dīcō , "to declare", + -tiō , noun-forming suffix ), the court's power to decide certain kinds of questions or petitions put to it. According to William Blackstone 's Commentaries on

144-451: A defense before a court. The system of courts that interprets and applies the law is collectively known as the judiciary . The place where a court sits is known as a venue . The room where court proceedings occur is known as a courtroom , and the building as a courthouse ; court facilities range from simple and very small facilities in rural communities to large complex facilities in urban communities. The practical authority given to

192-562: A jury . The word court comes from the French cour , an enclosed yard, which derives from the Latin form cōrtem , the accusative case of cohors , which again means an enclosed yard or the occupants of such a yard. The English word court is thus a descendant of the Latin word hortus from Ancient Greek χόρτος ( khórtos ) (meaning "garden", hence horticulture and orchard), both referring to an enclosed space. The meaning of

240-423: A legal remedy . It is also usual in the superior courts to have barristers, and attorneys or counsel, as assistants, though, often, courts consist of additional barristers, bailiffs , reporters , and perhaps a jury . Jurisdiction is defined as the official authority to make legal decisions and judgements over a person or material item within a territory. "Whether a given court has jurisdiction to preside over

288-488: A body of law by combining local customs they were made aware of through traveling and visiting local jurisdictions. This common standard of law became known as "Common Law". This legal tradition is practiced in the English and American legal systems . In most civil law jurisdictions, courts function under an inquisitorial system . In the common law system, most courts follow the adversarial system . Procedural law governs

336-511: A fair trial in his native Staffordshire . The Central Criminal Court Act 1856 was passed to enable his trial, and others with a public profile, to be held at the Old Bailey. In London cant it was called The Gate , an abbreviation of Newgate. The Old Bailey adjoined Newgate Prison until the jail's 1902 closure. Hangings were a public spectacle in the street outside until May 1868. The condemned would be led along Dead Man's Walk between

384-430: A given case" is a key question in any legal action. Three basic components of jurisdiction are personal jurisdiction over an individual or thing ( rēs ), jurisdiction over the particular subject matter ( subject-matter jurisdiction ) and territorial jurisdiction . Jurisdiction over a person refers to the full authority over a person regardless of where they live, jurisdiction over a particular subject matter refers to

432-621: A judicial assembly is first attested in the 12th century, and derives from the earlier usage to designate a sovereign and his entourage, which met to adjudicate disputes in such an enclosed yard. The verb "to court", meaning to win favor, derives from the same source since people traveled to the sovereign's court to win his favor. The term the court is used to refer to the presiding officer or officials, usually one or more judges . The judge or panel of judges may also be collectively referred to as "the bench " (in contrast to attorneys and barristers , collectively referred to as "the bar "). In

480-409: A pro-socialist woman who had written to him and visited him while in prison. His Roman Catholic faith, which he retained, alongside a Marxist tendency, apparently strengthened in later years. Bettaney died of alcohol poisoning on 16 August 2018. Old Bailey The Central Criminal Court of England and Wales , commonly referred to as the Old Bailey after the street on which it stands,

528-543: A source handler. One person he dealt with was Willie Carlin (died 6 February 2023), a well-placed agent within the Provisional IRA . Bettaney, after his conviction in 1983, shared his knowledge with an IRA prisoner whilst in Brixton Prison and Carlin had to be withdrawn. Two years later he returned to London and participated in the newly created anti-terrorist branch. In December 1982 he was transferred to

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576-535: A sword in her right hand and the scales of justice in her left. The statue is popularly supposed to show blind Justice , but the figure is not blindfolded: the courthouse brochures explain that this is because Lady Justice was originally not blindfolded, and because her "maidenly form" is supposed to guarantee her impartiality which renders the blindfold redundant. During the Blitz of the Second World War,

624-514: Is a criminal court building in central London, one of several that house the Crown Court of England and Wales . The street outside follows the route of the ancient wall around the City of London , which was part of the fortification's bailey , hence the metonymic name. The court has been housed in a succession of buildings on the street since the sixteenth century, when it was attached to

672-484: Is alleged to arise from the following: he had received a final warning following a criminal conviction for fare-dodging and an arrest for being drunk in the street. A further offence of using an out-of-date railway season ticket followed, and although Bettaney had failed to declare it, as he was required to do, he knew it would be disclosed during his next routine security screening, which would inevitably lead to his dismissal. The management of Bettaney while working for MI5

720-495: The reus or defendant , who is called upon to make satisfaction for it; and the jūdex or judicial power, who is to examine the truth of the fact, determine the law arising upon that fact, and, if any injury appears to have been done, ascertain and by its officers apply a legal remedy . It is also usual in the superior courts to have barristers, and attorneys or counsel, as assistants, though, often, courts consist of additional barristers, bailiffs , reporters , and perhaps

768-414: The administration of justice in civil , criminal , and administrative matters in accordance with the rule of law . In both common law and civil law legal systems , courts are the central means for dispute resolution , and it is generally understood that all people have an ability to bring their claims before a court. Similarly, the rights of those accused of a crime include the right to present

816-633: The finders of fact (these are known as jury trials ) or trials in which judges act as both finders of fact and finders of law (in some jurisdictions these are known as bench trials ). Juries are less common in court systems outside the Anglo-American common law tradition. Appellate courts are courts that hear appeals of lower courts and trial courts. Some courts, such as the Crown Court in England and Wales, may have both trial and appellate jurisdictions. The two major legal traditions of

864-583: The title character demolishes it to gain the public's attention, and Justice League and its director's cut , in which Wonder Woman foils a terrorist bomb plot. In Agatha Christie 's play, Witness for the Prosecution , the murder trial of Leonard Vole is held at the Old Bailey. It is also a central location in The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures and its sequel The Great Ace Attorney 2: Resolve , where many of

912-485: The Central Criminal Court." Court A court is any person or institution , often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil , criminal , and administrative matters in accordance with the rule of law . The practical authority given to the court is known as its jurisdiction ,

960-528: The City of London are entitled to sit on the judges' bench during a hearing but do not participate in hearings. Where a ceremonial tradition is followed, a judge, sitting solo, will sit off-centre in case the Lord Mayor should decide to come in, in which case they would take the centre chair. The most senior permanent judge of the Central Criminal Court has the title of Recorder of London , and their deputy has

1008-495: The Laws of England , a court (for civil wrongs ) is constituted by a minimum of three parties: the āctor or plaintiff , who complains of an injury done; the reus or defendant , who is called upon to make satisfaction for it; and the jūdex or judicial power, who is to examine the truth of the fact, determine the law arising upon that fact, and, if any injury appears to have been done, ascertain and by its officers apply

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1056-496: The Old Bailey between 1674 and 1834. In 1834, it was renamed from the Assize Court for London to the Central Criminal Court. The court was envisaged as that where only criminals accused of crimes committed in the City and Middlesex were tried. However, in 1856, there was public revulsion at complaints sent to police against doctor William Palmer that he was a poisoner and murderer. This led to fears that he could not receive

1104-461: The Old Bailey from other parts of England and Wales. As with most courts in England and Wales, trials at the Old Bailey are open to the public, although they are subject to stringent security procedures. The court originated as the sessions house of the Lord Mayor and Sheriffs of the City of London and of Middlesex . In addition to sessions court, the Old Bailey also held trials, similar to

1152-453: The Old Bailey was bombed and severely damaged, but reconstruction work restored most of it in the early 1950s. In 1952, the restored interior of the Grand or Great Hall of the Central Criminal Court was once again open. This hall (underneath the dome) is decorated with paintings commemorating the Blitz, as well as quasi-historical scenes of St Paul's Cathedral with nobles outside. Running around

1200-742: The Recorder is a member of the Common Council because he is also a member of the Court of Aldermen . The city's sheriffs and the Lord Mayor are justices there, but their jurisdiction is now nominal. The sheriffs are resident with the senior judges in the complex. Court 1 has benches set aside for the committee of City Bridge Foundation , the owner of the building. The Old Bailey has been mentioned and featured in numerous fictional works including film, video games and literature. Notable examples include V for Vendetta and its film adaptation , in which

1248-648: The Soviet counterespionage section. Working here, an outstation based in Gower Street , London, rather than at MI5's then main building in Curzon Street off Berkeley Square , he took a large number of secret documents home with him from the office, before trying to hand over highlights to the KGB's London rezident ( Head of KGB Station or rezidentura ), General Arkady V. Guk, by dropping the documentation through

1296-468: The United States, the legal authority of a court to take action is based on personal jurisdiction over the parties to the litigation and subject-matter jurisdiction over the claims asserted. The system of courts that interprets and applies the law is collectively known as the judiciary . The place where a court sits is known as a venue . The room where court proceedings occur is known as

1344-427: The above, to wit that, far from incompetently pushing secret materials through Guk's letterbox, "[Bettaney] delivered a suitably cryptic message for the Soviet embassy's KGB staff. It required them to make contact with him using standard spycraft techniques: pins on escalators, numbered steps, etc." Although Bettaney subsequently claimed to have been inspired by political motives, an alternative theory of his motivation

1392-639: The architects Donald McMorran and George Whitby, was built to accommodate more modern courts. In 1973, the Belfast Brigade of the Provisional IRA exploded a car bomb in the street outside, killing one and injuring 200 people. A shard of glass is preserved as a reminder, embedded in the wall at the top of the main stairs. The hall (and its floor) was decorated with many busts and statues, chiefly of British monarchs, but also of legal figures, and those who achieved renown by campaigning for improvement in prison conditions from 1700 to 1900. This part of

1440-686: The authority over the said subject of legal cases involved in a case, and lastly territorial jurisdiction is the authority over a person within an x amount of space. Other concepts of jurisdiction include general , exclusive , appellate , and (in the United States federal courts ) diversity jurisdiction . Courts may be organized into a hierarchy of courts and have specific jurisdiction and include specialized courts . Trial courts are courts that hold trials . Sometimes termed "courts of first instance", trial courts have varying original jurisdiction . Trial courts may conduct trials with juries as

1488-455: The building also housed the stenographers' offices until the stenographers were replaced by technology in March 2012. On 7 February 2024, around 1,500 people were forced to evacuate the building following a fire and reports of five separate explosions at the rear of the Central Criminal Court. Defendants on remand were returned to prison and juries were sent home. Until 2017, the court manager

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1536-604: The buildings, and many were buried in the walk itself. Large, rowdy crowds sometimes gathered and pelted the condemned with rotten fruit and vegetables and stones. Some sources claim that, after 28 people were crushed to death when a pie-seller's stall overturned, a tunnel was made between the prison and St Sepulchre's church opposite the crossroads, to allow the chaplain to minister to the condemned without having to force his way through crowds; but there are no known primary sources or photographic evidence that indicate that it actually existed. The present building dates from 1902 and

1584-462: The court is known as its jurisdiction (from Latin iūrisdictiō , from iūris , "of the law ", + dīcō , "to declare", + -tiō , noun-forming suffix ), the court's power to decide certain kinds of questions or petitions put to it. According to William Blackstone 's Commentaries on the Laws of England , a court (for civil wrongs ) is constituted by a minimum of three parties: the āctor or plaintiff , who complains of an injury done;

1632-403: The court open to the weather to prevent the spread of disease. The building was re-fronted in 1734, so as to enclose the court and reduce the influence of spectators: this led to outbreaks of typhus , notably in 1750 when 60 people died, including the Lord Mayor and two judges. It was rebuilt again in 1774 and a second courtroom was added in 1824. Over 100,000 criminal trials were carried out at

1680-470: The court's power to decide certain kinds of questions or petitions put to it. There are various kinds of courts, including trial courts that hold trials and appellate courts that hear appeals . Two major legal traditions of the western world are the civil law courts and the common law courts. A court is any person or institution , often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out

1728-643: The end of the eleventh century and became a foundation for university legal education starting in Bologna, Italy and subsequently being taught throughout continental European universities. Civil law is firmly ensconced in the French and German legal systems . Common law courts were established by English royal judges of the King's Council after the Norman Invasion of Britain in 1066. The royal judges created

1776-421: The entire hall are a series of axioms, some of biblical reference. They read: "The law of the wise is a fountain of life" " The welfare of the people is supreme " "Right lives by law and law subsists by power" "Poise the cause in justice's equal scales" "Moses gave unto the people the laws of God" "London shall have all its ancient rights" Between 1968 and 1972, a new South Block, designed by

1824-679: The letterbox of Guk's house, Bettaney knowing the address via his work. Bettaney did not know that another member of the Station, KGB [Acting] Colonel Oleg Gordievsky , was an MI6 agent. Gordievsky informed MI6 and the British authorities managed to identify and arrest Bettaney at his home in September 1983, where he had been preparing to fly to Vienna and hand over more secrets to the Soviets. There has been put forward an alternative view of

1872-556: The medieval Newgate Prison . The current main building block was completed in 1902, designed by Edward William Mountford ; its monumental architecture is recognised and protected as a Grade II* listed building . An extension, South Block, was constructed in 1972, over the former site of Newgate Prison which had been demolished in 1904. The Crown Court sitting in the Old Bailey hears major criminal cases from within Greater London . In exceptional cases, trials may be referred to

1920-804: The rules by which courts operate: civil procedure for private disputes (for example); and criminal procedure for violation of the criminal law. In recent years, international courts are being created to resolve matters not covered by the jurisdiction of national courts. For example, the International Criminal Court , based in The Hague , in the Netherlands, or the Court of Permanent Lok Adalat (Public Utility Services), based in India. Television show courts, which are often not part of

1968-566: The title of Common Serjeant of London . The position of "Recorder of London" is distinct from that of a recorder , which is a part-time judicial office, holders of which sit part-time as judges of the Crown Court or County Court. The recent Recorders of London have been: The court house originated as part of the City of London 's borough judicial system, and it remains so. The Recorder and the Common Serjeant are city officers, and

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2016-483: The travelling Courts of Assize held in other parts of England and Wales. The original medieval court is first mentioned in 1585; it was next to the older Newgate Prison , and seems to have grown out of the endowment to improve the gaol and rooms for the sheriffs, made possible by a gift from 15th-century Lord Mayor Richard Whittington . It was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666 and rebuilt in 1674, with

2064-458: The trials in the games' plot take place. Rumpole of the Bailey is a British television series created and written by the British writer and barrister John Mortimer , in which Horace Rumpole, an elderly London barrister, defends a broad variety of clients, often underdogs. In The Pirates of Penzance , upon defeating the police, the pirates declare that "No pirate band will take its stand / At

2112-413: The western world are the civil law courts and the common law courts. These two great legal traditions are similar, in that they are products of western culture, although there are significant differences between the two traditions. Civil law courts are profoundly based upon Roman law , specifically a civil body of law entitled Corpus Juris Civilis . This theory of civil law was rediscovered around

2160-651: Was allegedly known for his admiration for Adolf Hitler and for singing the Horst-Wessel-Lied in local public houses. Bettaney joined the Security Service in 1975, soon after he graduated from Oxford. Bettaney was posted to Belfast in June 1976 and was injured in a car bomb attack. Aaron Edwards, a writer on The Troubles and intelligence states that during his posting he served in Londonderry as

2208-529: Was examined by the Security Commission , who concluded that "[t]he Commission make a number of serious criticisms of the errors by the Security Service in relation to the management of Bettaney's career..." Bettaney was sentenced to 23 years in prison, and was released on licence in 1998. While in prison he had learned the Russian language via broadcasts from Radio Moscow . He set up home with

2256-609: Was known by the title of the Secondary of the City of London , an ancient title of a City officer. His Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service manages the courts and administers the trials but the building itself is owned by the City of London Corporation , which finances the maintenance and running of the building and the staff costs out of their own resources. All judges sitting in the Old Bailey are addressed as " My Lord " or "My Lady", whether they are High Court , circuit judges or recorders . The Lord Mayor and aldermen of

2304-583: Was officially opened by King Edward VII on 27 February 1907. It was designed by E. W. Mountford and co-occupies the site of the demolished prison. Above the main entrance is inscribed the admonition: "Defend the Children of the Poor & Punish the Wrongdoer". On the dome above the court stands the court's symbolic gilt bronze statue of Lady Justice by sculptor F. W. Pomeroy (made 1905–1906). She holds

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