Luton Crown Court
Luton Crown Court
LocationGeorge Street, Luton
Coordinates51°52′40″N 0°24′52″W / 51.8779°N 0.4144°W / 51.8779; -0.4144
Built1991
ArchitectProperty Services Agency
Architectural style(s)Modernist style
Luton Crown Court is located in Bedfordshire
Luton Crown Court
Shown in Bedfordshire

Luton Crown Court is a Crown Court venue, which deals with criminal cases, in George Street, Luton, England.

History

For much of the 20th century, the main venue for serious criminal court hearings in Bedfordshire was the Shire Hall in Bedford.[1] However, as the number of court cases in Luton grew, it became necessary to commission a new criminal courthouse in Luton itself. The site selected by the Lord Chancellor's Department was on "Market Hill",[2] and had been occupied by two shops: No. 7 George Street had been occupied by a betting shop,[3] and No. 9 George Street had been occupied by a wine shop.[4]

The new building was designed by the Property Services Agency in the Modernist style, built in buff brick at a cost of £10 million,[5] and was completed in 1991.[6] It was officially opened in April 1992.[7] The design involved an asymmetrical main frontage facing onto George Street. The left hand section was fenestrated by five casement windows on the ground floor, by three casement windows on the first floor and by a continuous row of windows at attic level. The central bay featured a recessed opening containing a doorway at ground level, a wall faced in stone and bearing a Royal coat of arms on the first floor and a row of windows at attic level. The right hand section was formed by a three-storey circular tower with casement windows on each floor and a flat roof. Internally, the building was laid out to accommodate eight courtrooms.[8]

Notable cases have included the trial and conviction of Charles Bronson, in February 2000, for criminal damage and assault,[9][10] and the trial and conviction of the boxer, Lukasz Stachura, for the murder of Kamil Leszczynski.[11][12][13]

References

  1. ↑ "1962: 'A6 murder' trial begins". BBC. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  2. ↑ "Ordnance Survey Map". 1914. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  3. ↑ "7 and 7a George Street, Luton". Bedfordshire Archives. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  4. ↑ "9 George Street, Luton". Bedfordshire Archives. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  5. ↑ "Capital Building Programme". Hansard. 26 January 1996. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  6. ↑ "The Buildings of Market Hill, Luton". Luton Heritage. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  7. ↑ Foster, Richard (22 March 2016). "Report to Luton Borough Council". Judiciary of England and Wales. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  8. ↑ "Luton". Ministry of Justice. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  9. ↑ Wade, Stephen (2011). Britain's Most Notorious Prisoners: Victorian to Present-Day Cases. Pen and Sword Books. ISBN 978-1844685189.
  10. ↑ "'Just give me the porridge '". The Guardian. 18 February 2000. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  11. ↑ "Boxer murdered man and joked about it to his friends when they noticed he had gone missing". Northants Live. 21 February 2023. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  12. ↑ "Wellingborough man Lukasz Stachura jailed for ditch murder". 20 February 2023. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  13. ↑ "Lukasz Stachura jailed for life at Luton Crown Court for murdering 'cheerful and gentle' Kamil Leszczynski after sick killer joked he had disposed of missing family man". Hitchin Nub News. 20 February 2023. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
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