Reading Crown Court

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

Reading Crown Court
LocationReading, Berkshire
Coordinates51.4562°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
Location of Reading Crown Court in Berkshire

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] In 1981 the county council moved to a new Shire Hall at Shinfield Park and subsequently it was used solely as a 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[7] 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.[8] 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.[9]

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,[10] but on 19 September the Crown Prosecution Service said that they had discontinued the case against him.[11][12][13]

References
  1. 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. "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. Frost, Bill (23 October 1992). "Convicted paedophile jailed for raping and killing boy of 7". The Times. London. p. 3.
  8. Laville, Sandra (28 April 2006). "Murder gang must serve 27 years". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  9. Sherwin, Adam. "Jail for courageous Munir Hussain who beat intruder with cricket bat". The Times. London. Retrieved 15 December 2009.
  10. "Jed Foster appears at Reading Crown Court charged with the murder of PC Andrew Harper". Reading Chronicle. 21 August 2019. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  11. "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.
  12. "Murder charge dropped against Jed Foster over PC Andrew Harper death". Get Reading. 24 September 2019. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  13. "Why charges were dropped against Jed Foster in PC Harper trial". Oxford Mail. 24 July 2020. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
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