Reading Crown Court
LocationReading, Berkshire
Coordinates51°27′22″N 0°58′01″W / 51.4562°N 0.967°W / 51.4562; -0.967
Built1861
ArchitectJohn Clacy
Architectural style(s)Baroque revival style
Listed Building – Grade II
Designated14 December 1978
Reference no.1113476
Reading Crown Court is located in Berkshire
Reading Crown Court
Location of Reading Crown Court in Berkshire

Reading Crown Court is a judicial facility in Reading, Berkshire. It is a Grade II listed building.[1]

History

The building, which was designed by the county surveyor, John Clacy, in the Baroque revival style and built at a cost of £21,644, was completed in 1861.[1][2] It became the main venue for the assizes from 1867 when Abingdon County Hall ceded that role to Reading.[3] The design involved a symmetrical main frontage with seven bays facing onto The Forbury with the end bays projected forward; the central section of five bays featured a three-bay portico with Doric order columns; there were round headed sash windows flanked by Ionic order columns on the first floor.[1] The complex included the county police station which was built behind the courthouse.[4]

Following the implementation of the Local Government Act 1888, which established county councils in every county, it also became the meeting place for Berkshire County Council.[5] The administrative staff and committee rooms of the county council were accommodated in the Shire Hall next door.[6] Following the implementation of the Courts Act 1971, the former assizes court was re-designated Reading Crown Court.[7] In 1981 the county council moved to a new Shire Hall at Shinfield Park and subsequently it was used solely by the Crown Court.[6]

Important cases heard by Reading Crown Court included the trial and conviction of Leslie Bailey for the murder of Mark Tildesley in December 1992[8] and the trial and conviction of Llewellyn Adams, Indrit Krasniqi, Michael Johnson, Jamaile Morally, Joshua Morally and Adrian Thomas for the murder of Mary-Ann Leneghan in March 2012.[9] It was also the venue for the Munir Hussain case, in which a businessman, Munir Hussain, was tried and convicted of assaulting a burglar, Walid Salem, in December 2009.[10]

The initial stages of the trial of Jed Foster for the killing of Andrew Harper were also heard at Reading Crown Court in August 2019,[11] but on 19 September the Crown Prosecution Service said that they had discontinued the case against him.[12][13][14]

References

  1. ^ a b c Historic England. "Assize Courts, Reading (1113476)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  2. ^ "Victorian Architecture in Reading" (PDF). The Arts Society Wokingham. 3 April 2019. p. 7. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  3. ^ "County Hall". Abingdon Area Archaeological and Historical Society. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  4. ^ "Timeline History of Reading 1801 to 1900". Visitor UK. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  5. ^ "Local Government Act 1888". Legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  6. ^ a b "From old Shire Hall to sheer class". Reading Post. 2 March 2006. Archived from the original on 21 March 2012. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  7. ^ Courts Act 1971 (Commencement) Order 1971 (SI 1971/1151)
  8. ^ Frost, Bill (23 October 1992). "Convicted paedophile jailed for raping and killing boy of 7". The Times. London. p. 3.
  9. ^ Laville, Sandra (28 April 2006). "Murder gang must serve 27 years". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  10. ^ Sherwin, Adam. "Jail for courageous Munir Hussain who beat intruder with cricket bat". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 15 December 2009.
  11. ^ "Jed Foster appears at Reading Crown Court charged with the murder of PC Andrew Harper". Reading Chronicle. 21 August 2019. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  12. ^ "CPS further update in relation to the investigation into PC Harper's death; The Crown Prosecution Service". www.cps.gov.uk. 19 September 2019. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  13. ^ "Murder charge dropped against Jed Foster over PC Andrew Harper death". Get Reading. 24 September 2019. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  14. ^ "Why charges were dropped against Jed Foster in PC Harper trial". Oxford Mail. 24 July 2020. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
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