The Crown Court of England and Wales is a criminal court of both original and appellate jurisdiction which in addition handles a limited amount of civil business both at first instance and on appeal.
The Crown Court is the only court in England and Wales that has the jurisdiction to try cases on indictment (i.e. trial by judge and jury) and when exercising such a role it is a superior court in that its judgments cannot be reviewed by the Queen’s Bench Division of the High Court. It also hears appeals against decisions made in the magistrates’ courts and deals with cases sent from magistrates’ courts for sentence.
The Judges who normally sit in the Crown Court are High Court Judges, Circuit Judges and Recorders. Circuit Judges are the same Judges as sit in the County Court. Recorders are Barristers or Solicitors in private practice, who sit part time as Judges. The most serious cases (treason, murder, rape etc.) are allocated to High Court Judges and Senior Circuit Judges. The remainder are dealt with by Circuit Judges and Recorders, although Recorders will normally handle less serious work than Circuit Judges. The allocation is conducted according to directions given by the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales.
