Lewes Crown Court

Lewes Crown Court is a Crown Court venue in Lewes High Street, Lewes, East Sussex, England. It is housed in the Lewes Combined Court Centre which it shares with Lewes County Court. It is a Grade II* listed building.[1]

Lewes Crown Court
Location	Lewes, East Sussex
Coordinates	50.8730°N 0.0096°E / 50.8730; 0.0096
Built	1712
Architect	John Johnson
Listed Building – Grade II*
Designated	25 February 1952
Reference no.	1043780
Location of Lewes Crown Court in East Sussex

History

The Portland stone building, which was designed by John Johnson, was built between 1808 and 1812.[1] It was originally used as a facility for dispensing justice but, following the implementation of the Local Government Act 1888, which established county councils in every county, it also became the meeting place of East Sussex County Council.[2] The County Council moved Pelham House in 1938, from when the building in Lewes High Street was used solely for accommodating the Law Courts,[3] and then it moved on to St Anne's Crescent in Lewes in 1968.[3]

Cases

Notable cases held at Lewes Assizes, later Lewes Crown Court, include:

• 1920: The "Crumbles Murder case" in which Jack Field and William Thomas were convicted of the murder of Irene Munro.[4][5][6]
• 1930: The trial of Sidney Harry Fox for the murder of his mother for insurance money.[7]
• 1934: The acquittal of Tony Mancini for the "Brighton Trunk Murder" of Violet Kaye, to which he later confessed.[8]
• 1949: John Haigh, the "acid bath murderer".[9]
• 1956: John Bodkin Adams, previously acquitted of murder at the Old Bailey, was tried at Lewes for collateral offences.[10]
• 2001: Roy Whiting was tried and convicted of the murder of Sarah Payne[11]
• 2004: Graham Coutts was tried and convicted of the murder of schoolteacher Jane Longhurst.[12]
• 2004: Andrew Wragg was acquitted of murdering his son and sentenced to two years for manslaughter.[13]
• 2009: Martin and Nathan Winter, and Alpha Fireworks Ltd were found guilty of the manslaughter of two East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service firefighters in the 2006 Marlie Farm Fireworks Explosion.[14]
• 2010 Mrs Bridget Kathleen Gilderdale was acquitted of the attempted murder of her daughter, Lynn Gilderdale (an ME sufferer).[15]

References

1. Historic England. "Law Courts, Lewes (1043780)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
2. "Local Government Act 1888". Legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
3. "History of East Sussex County Council: Meetings and buildings". Retrieved 17 August 2019.
4. "The Ultimate Crime". www.real-crime.co.uk. Retrieved 2009-10-20.
5. Wilson, Colin; Patricia Pitman (1984). Encyclopedia of Murder. London: Pan Books. pp. 239–240. ISBN 0-330-28300-6.
6. Albert Borowitz (2002). Blood & ink: an international guide to fact-based crime literature. Kent State University Press. p. D-43. ISBN 0-87338-693-0.
7. F. Tennyson Jesse (1950). "Sidney Fox". In James H. Hodge (ed.). Famous Trials III. Penguin Books. pp. 43–96.
8. "Trunk murders revisited". The Argus. 27 June 2002. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
9. "John George Haigh". Old Police Cells Museum. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
10. Cullen, Pamela V. (2006). A Stranger in Blood: The Case Files on Dr John Bodkin Adams. London: Elliott & Thompson. p. 249. ISBN 1-904027-19-9.
11. "Anger as man faces court over Sarah Payne murder". The Guardian. 7 February 2001. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
12. "Musician found guilty of murder of teacher". The Guardian. 4 February 2004. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
13. "'Drunken father killed ailing son'". The Guardian. 1 March 2005. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
14. "Fireworks factory owner jailed over fatal explosion". The Guardian. 16 December 2009. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
15. "Mother cleared of ME daughter's attempted murder". BBC. 25 January 2010. Retrieved 18 August 2019.

External links

• Court information