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Interactive Court – Magistratemaintenance2026-03-31T11:11:51+01:00
Illustration of a Magistrates’ courtroom. On the right hand side, a woman and two men are seated with a clickable question mark over them. There is a screen behind them, also with a clickable question mark. In front of them, a woman in a grey suit is taking notes. A woman in a black gown is standing near to her and both characters have clickable question marks. To the right of this woman, a man in grey sits in the dock. The ginger man on the opposite side of the room from him, standing in the witness box. Both characters have clickable question marks. There are three rows of tables in the middle of the courtroom. Three people are seated in the front row and there is a clickable question mark over two of them. There are benches at the back of the courtroom where two people are seated with a clickable question mark. A purple navigation menu along the bottom of the illustration has options “Outside court”, “Security”, “Waiting room”, “Courtrooms”, “Live link rooms” and “After court” in white font.

Magistrates or district judge

Cases in magistrates’ courts are heard by two or three magistrates, or one district judge. They’re sometimes known as a justice of the peace (JP).

Magistrates are trained, unpaid volunteers. As they do not have qualifications in law, they work with legal advisers who provide advice on law and legal practice and procedures. A district judge is a paid lawyer.

Magistrates do not wear wigs and gowns.

 

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Legal adviser

A legal adviser is an experienced solicitor, barrister or holder of the Diploma in Law for Magistrates’ Court Clerks. They assist the magistrates by providing advice on law and legal practice and procedures.

 

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Witness

A witness is someone who has seen, heard or knows something important about an event being considered in court. They can be called to give evidence either by the prosecution or the defence.

They’ll give their evidence and answer questions from the witness stand, by live video link or in other ways such as pre-recorded video evidence. Witnesses are not expected to know everything or remember every detail, just to honestly share what they know in their own words.

 

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Defendant

A defendant is the person who has been accused of the crime the trial is about. They usually sit in the dock.

A uniformed prison custody officer, or court security officer, may be next to the defendant in the dock.

 

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Prosecution lawyer

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) usually leads the prosecution, and their job is to present the evidence that shows what they believe happened. They aim to prove the defendant is guilty.

The CPS prosecutes most cases in the criminal courts. In magistrates’ courts, the CPS may prosecute the case through a Crown Prosecutor or Associate Prosecutor, or instruct a local barrister to prosecute on its behalf.

 

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Defence lawyer

The defence lawyer represents the defendant in court and advises them on legal matters. They respond to the prosecution’s case to make sure the defendant gets a fair trial.

 

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Public gallery

Courts in England and Wales are considered public buildings. This means members of the public can attend court to watch trials, and members of the press are normally able to attend to observe and report on trials. Journalists typically sit in the public gallery.

 

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TV screens

Witnesses’ video-recorded evidence, and video-recorded cross-examination, is played to the court on the TV screens in the courtroom. If a witness is giving evidence by live link, the TV screens display this live video feed to everyone in the courtroom.

 

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Usher

The court usher supports people who are attending court, such as witnesses and jurors. They prepare the court and make sure everyone is ready and in the right place at the right time. They usually take the oaths of witnesses during the process of swearing in. The usher usually wears a black gown.

 

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  • Outside court
  • Security
  • Waiting room
  • Courtrooms
  • Live link rooms
  • After court

Use the slider located at the bottom of each screen to move through the room.

Tap each [?] hotspot to find out what 
to expect when attending court.

  • Change Location
    • Outside Court
    • Security
    • Waiting room
    • Courtrooms
    • Live link rooms
    • After court
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