Visit to Court - Court Report

Table of ContentsIntroductionCourt DetailsThe Subject Matter of the CaseLayout of the Court and Roles of Court ParticipantsInteresting ObservationsDegree of formality in the court proceedingHow the evidence was presentedUnderstanding the Happening of a Court Room8Understanding Court ProcessReflection of Court Experience9Reference ListIntroduction:This is a report describing an observation of a criminal court proceeding that I attended at Brisbane District Court, Queensland. In this report I will state the kind of hearing I observed and the charges against the defendant; state and identify who was present in the court room and produce a brief description of their role. I will report briefly what happened in the courtroom and state the most interesting things I observed. I will then later discuss how and why I found the happening of the court room to be relatively hard to understand, and explain how and why I believe that defendants, witnesses, victim of crime, or a jury member could find the court process daunting and also hard to understand. I also provide a critical reflection upon my experience in court outlining the relevant concepts discussed in class 1012CCJ Police, Courts and Criminal Law.

Court Details:Name of Court Visited: District Court BrisbaneCourt Located: 363 George Street, Brisbane (Queensland)Courtroom Number: 6Date of Visit: 26 August 2009Name of Case: R v DavyName of Presiding Judge: Judge HowellAccused: Mr. DavyThe Subject Matter of the Case:The District Court deals with a wide range of criminal matters. The court hearing I attended was a trial by jury, where the charge against the defendant was assault causing grievous bodily harm. Under section 317 (Acts intended to cause grievous bodily harm and other malicious acts) of the Criminal Code Act 1899 (Qld) it states any person whom intentionally causes grievous bodily harm is guilty of a crime, and is liable to imprisonment for life. This charge is considered an indictable offence. Indictable