The King’s Crown Court of St Edward’s

Camilo Attenborough, Shell pupil, writes:

‘On Wednesday, as part of our Inspiring Future Series, Simon Freeland and Anne Studd visited the school and turned the Olivier Hall into the King’s Crown Court of St Edward’s. Simon works as a judge, Anne as a barrister, and both are former parents of Teddies pupils.

We didn’t just learn about the law, but we also got the chance to immerse ourselves in it! There was a full mock trial, with pupils facing being sentenced to lengthy prison sentences, acting as eyewitnesses, and speaking up on behalf of the prosecution or the defence.

The case focused on 20-year-old Melissa and 21-year-old David as the defendants, and the prosecution was an old man called Gregory Jones. The first count was that David wounded Gregory, and whether this was done with intent or in self-defence. The second count was theft after Melissa had stolen a bottle of vodka.

First the prosecution witnesses were brought to the witness box, and then the defence were brought in. Both sides got examined and cross examined, then we had the police officers give their point of view. The court proceedings were interrupted by a pupil representing a member of the press asking for the juror’s name.

I played Gregory. The experience was fun and realistic, and I felt pressure in every word that came out of my mouth. I knew that anything that I said could stop my assailants receiving a guilty verdict. The acting from the lawyers and all the witnesses was great and Melissa gave an especially compelling argument.

The best part of it was that Simon and Anne got every single pupil who wanted to be involved to become part of this trial – be it as barrister, juror, or court usher.

A huge thank you goes to them both for facilitating such an engaging encounter with the legal system!’