Surrey Mock Trials – A fascinating Insight into Court Proceedings.

On Saturday March 15^th I had the opportunity to practice for my new role as High Sheriff, stepping in for my predecessor – Shahid Azeem DL, and was invited to Guildford Crown Court to witness the Surrey Mock Trials.

An annual event arranged by the Surrey Magistrates Association saw five schools role-playing the parts of a case, including court usher, defendant in the dock, three magistrates, prosecuting and defence lawyers and the court legal adviser. Each school takes part in two rounds, one as the prosecution and the other defence and they are marked for their role-playing accuracy, presentational skills and their understanding of the legal requirements. It was incredible to learn that the children were between 12-14 years old such was their professionalism, observance of etiquette and dedication to their task.

The competing schools were Christ’s College, Gordons, Hazelwick, Kings International and Woking High and I was delighted to award the High Sheriff Youth Award Shield to the best Surrey school which was Woking High and the Surrey Cup to the best overall school which was Hazelwick.

Huge congratulations and thanks goes to the Surrey Magistrates Association and their representatives, together with the many court officers and expert panellists who gave up their time to oversee proceedings. The schools and myself were also treated to a tour of the cells and a prison van and took part in a Q&A session with a panel comprising a crown court and magistrate judge, a police officer, a member of the Crown Prosecution Service and other court representatives.

There were also stands from the High Sheriff Youth Awards, the Police Cadets and Fearless (an anonymous crime reporting charity for young people) providing valuable information to the young people present.

I was very fortunate to meet one of my police cadets, Imogen, who will be accompanying me during my Shrieval year and also Dee Wilkinson JP who witnessed my Declaration at my High Sheriff Installation on Friday March 21^st.

I would like to extend a personal thank you to John Small who chaperoned me throughout and educated me on the workings of the court system. I look forward to visiting both the Crown Court and Magistrates Court again during my Shrieval year.