Court records

WillyNelson · 1 Jul 2015 at 12:21

Someone I am professionally acquainted with was arrested a few months ago for drink driving. A conviction would be problematic to our relationship. Is it possible to search local magistrate court records to see whether they were charged and whether the case has been heard yet?

Skully · 1 Jul 2015 at 12:26

Ring the Court, there is nothing published online.

OhEsEcks · 1 Jul 2015 at 12:34

Skully said:
Ring the Court, there is nothing published online.

Depends. A mate of mine was killed on a night out and if you search "friends name Belfast manslaughter", it returns the judgement document from courtsni.gov.uk relating to the case. Similarly there are documents that appear online relating to someone I knew in the prison service who was part of the team involved in granting parole to prisoners. Again, anything they were involved in are hosted on courtsni.gov.uk.

http://www.justice.gov.uk/ might be the England and Wales alternative. https://www.scotcourts.gov.uk/ is Scotlands.

Courts are open to the public, press and whomever for the most part. I'm pretty sure all rulings are open to the public as well (depending on the type of case [where it might involve children, or national security]). So will be published online if you know how to search for it.

Skully · 1 Jul 2015 at 12:37

I work closely with the Courts and I have never come across an online database of hearing results.

tom_e · 1 Jul 2015 at 12:40

They may have been published in your local paper, I know my parents local paper does this.

OhEsEcks · 1 Jul 2015 at 12:41

Skully said:
I work closely with the Courts and I have never come across an online database of hearing results.

I can go on those three websites and search the judgements. Like I said, it also returns results for cases I know of and people I know of involved in cases. So they are published online. And are searchable through those sites and through google.

billyboyd · 1 Jul 2015 at 15:20

tom_e said:
They may have been published in your local paper, I know my parents local paper does this.

This to be honest and drink driving he would have been up within the fortnight of committing the offence, maybe even the week.

He wouldn't have got away with it either, he would have been banned without question.

arknor · 1 Jul 2015 at 15:23

tom_e said:
They may have been published in your local paper, I know my parents local paper does this.

yup got some interesting results googling old friends names lol.

one guy arrested for leaving spit on a drive way at a burglary. (lol dna evidence)
another arrested for growing cannabis.
another arrested for being a drug lord and getting some guys on a motorbike to shoot at someones house (11 long years)

becoming the youngest person in Britain to receive an Asbo sanction.

But instead of the order acting as a deterrent, former Bulwell teenager Madigan went on to become a career criminal with more than 130 offences to his name.

His offending ranged from assaulting prison officers, a 100mph car chase through Hucknall, and affray.

And his latest offence has now ended with him being jailed for 11 years.

Madigan, now 27 and a drug dealer, ordered two people to fire shots at a house in Aspley where he believed a man who had lost his money and drugs was living.

While the house had been empty at the time, an upstairs bedroom window was found to be smashed after tests showed two shots were fired from the Winchester shotgun and at least one other shot from a 9mm pistol.

Quite the character lol

Skull · 10 Mar 2016 at 22:21

OhEsEcks said:
I can go on those three websites and search the judgements. Like I said, it also returns results for cases I know of and people I know of involved in cases. So they are published online. And are searchable through those sites and through google.

There is no database of hearing results. Some judgments, like those in the High Court and above are published. Most are not. County court / magistrates hearings are recorded but are not transcribed as a matter of course.

adolf hamster · 10 Mar 2016 at 22:28

Can you not ask him? And how does it affect your relationship?

Surely if you cant ask because you arent close enough, and there arent other forces (like say employer) at work to end the acquantance then surely it's not really something you need to worry about?

Krono5 · 10 Mar 2016 at 22:39

Acquanted with? How would that damage your relationship.

wez130 · 10 Mar 2016 at 22:50

Thread revival for what? lol

Krono5 · 10 Mar 2016 at 23:37

Didn't realise the thread was sso old. We still demand answers though

Orionaut · 11 Mar 2016 at 08:36

But instead of the order acting as a deterrent, former Bulwell teenager Madigan went on to become a career criminal with more than 130 offences to his name.

THIS is why I am a fan of "three strikes"! :mad:

Amp34 · 11 Mar 2016 at 16:09

Depends, if he stole 3 mars bars in three deprecate incidents then I think like imprisonment is a little extreme... Don't you?

(Obviously that's an extreme example but still).

Edit: life... Life imprisonment.

Rroff · 11 Mar 2016 at 16:17

arknor said:
yup got some interesting results googling old friends names lol.

I have one that will take some beating

(an old school friend):

He may have been jailed for life for attempted murder but Star Wars fan Daniel House has now decided to change his name by deed poll to Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Obviously that's because the newly-named Mr Kenobi is in touch with the "Force" - and probably has been since they arrested him back in 2001.

I found a thread commenting on it as well - with some comments like:

"He sounds more like a Sith to me"

"These aren't the droids you're looking for. I'm sure he just wanted an excuse to say that to one of the guards."

wez130 said:
Thread revival for what? lol

Atleast it is only just over 6 months this time and not a 6 year old thread :S

WillyNelson · 11 Mar 2016 at 17:14

Professionally acquainted = a work friend.
Problematic to our relationship = excuse for being nosy

(Though I have no desire to speak to her again)

4 months later she appeared in court. 15 month ban and £450 fine.

Orionaut · 11 Mar 2016 at 22:22

Amp34 said:
Depends, if he stole 3 Mars bars in three separate incidents then I think like imprisonment is a little extreme... Don't you?

(Obviously that's an extreme example but still).

Edit: life... Life imprisonment.

No, actually I dont!

Somebody who steals a third Mars bar after having been tried and convicted of stealing the first two obviously has a serious problem.

Also, if one considerers the clean up rate for various police forces, the third strike is actually likely to be somewhere after 12 to 30 actual offences.

I am actually open minded as to how "Third strikers" should be dealt with (Simple Exile is one option) I am however in no doubt that incorrigible prolific offenders should be permanently separated from wider society! The only people that they currently benefit is the practitioners of Law! (And that includes the Police)

Amp34 · 11 Mar 2016 at 23:07

Problem is it doesn't quite work like that. The third "strike" can be completely inane, and a situation where someone not on their "final warning" wouldn't be arrested for. It's a situation that is taken advantage of way too often by police and law enforcement in the US and not something I would want implemented in the UK.

Orionaut · 12 Mar 2016 at 08:13

Amp34 said:
Problem is it doesn't quite work like that. The third "strike" can be completely inane, and a situation where someone not on their "final warning" wouldn't be arrested for. It's a situation that is taken advantage of way too often by police and law enforcement in the US and not something I would want implemented in the UK.

We do not have to follow the USA's example.

They always seem to spoil an otherwise good idea by overcooking it.

Doesn't mean the principle isn't sound.

Any system of law that allows somebody with over 100 convictions to still be at liberty is clearly broken.

The only people who benefit are the legal industry. I bet they just love incorrigibles. they are the legal industries bread and butter!

(100 Police investigations (All that lovely overtime), 100 trials (With Lawyers on all sides being paid out of the public purse) and so on)

And do not forget the social and economic costs of the victims (Of course, not all drug related offences will have identifiable victims, but many will)

The costs associated with keeping somebody locked up for ever are likely to be far less over time.