Woolwich Crown Court
Encyclopedia
Woolwich Crown Court, located at 2 Belmarsh Road, Thamesmead
is one of twelve Crown Court
s serving Greater London
.
It stands adjacent to both HM Prison
Belmarsh
and Belmarsh Magistrate's Court. Operational from 1993, it has 7 courtrooms and deals with more than 750 cases a year. Until recently, terrorist cases in the London
area would be heard at the Old Bailey
. However, Woolwich Crown Court has been designed as a high security courtroom and so now is the preferred venue for such trials.
Recent improvements have been made to courtrooms 1 and 2 at the cost of £600,000 to enhance their ability to handle complex terrorism trials, particularly those involving multiple defendants. A tunnel links the court to HM Prison
Belmarsh, which is a maximum security facility. This provides a secure route for bringing defendants in high-profile terrorist cases before the court. Armed police are often deployed to provide additional security.
On 15 January 2007 Woolwich Crown Court began hearing the trial of the six men accused of attempting the 21 July 2005 London bombings
on the London transport network. It is also the venue for the trials of those charged with offences from the 2006 transatlantic aircraft plot
.
Thamesmead
Thamesmead is a district of south-east London, England, located in the London Boroughs of Greenwich and Bexley. It is situated east of Charing Cross....
is one of twelve Crown Court
Crown Court
The Crown Court of England and Wales is, together with the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal, one of the constituent parts of the Senior Courts of England and Wales...
s serving Greater London
Greater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...
.
It stands adjacent to both HM Prison
HM Prison
Her Majesty's Prisons is the name given to prisons in the United Kingdom, Australia, Grenada and Barbados. The title makes up part of the name of individual prisons and is usually abbreviated to HM Prison or HMP....
Belmarsh
Belmarsh (HM Prison)
HM Prison Belmarsh is a Category A men's prison, located in the Thamesmead area of the London Borough of Greenwich, in south-east London, England. Belmarsh Prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service...
and Belmarsh Magistrate's Court. Operational from 1993, it has 7 courtrooms and deals with more than 750 cases a year. Until recently, terrorist cases in the London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
area would be heard at the Old Bailey
Old Bailey
The Central Criminal Court in England and Wales, commonly known as the Old Bailey from the street in which it stands, is a court building in central London, one of a number of buildings housing the Crown Court...
. However, Woolwich Crown Court has been designed as a high security courtroom and so now is the preferred venue for such trials.
Recent improvements have been made to courtrooms 1 and 2 at the cost of £600,000 to enhance their ability to handle complex terrorism trials, particularly those involving multiple defendants. A tunnel links the court to HM Prison
HM Prison
Her Majesty's Prisons is the name given to prisons in the United Kingdom, Australia, Grenada and Barbados. The title makes up part of the name of individual prisons and is usually abbreviated to HM Prison or HMP....
Belmarsh, which is a maximum security facility. This provides a secure route for bringing defendants in high-profile terrorist cases before the court. Armed police are often deployed to provide additional security.
On 15 January 2007 Woolwich Crown Court began hearing the trial of the six men accused of attempting the 21 July 2005 London bombings
21 July 2005 London bombings
On 21 July 2005, four attempted bomb attacks disrupted part of London's public transport system two weeks after the 7 July 2005 London bombings. The explosions occurred around midday at Shepherd's Bush, Warren Street and Oval stations on London Underground, and on a bus in Shoreditch...
on the London transport network. It is also the venue for the trials of those charged with offences from the 2006 transatlantic aircraft plot
2006 transatlantic aircraft plot
The 2006 transatlantic aircraft plot was a terrorist plot to detonate liquid explosives carried on board at least 10 airliners travelling from the United Kingdom to the United States and Canada...
.