The Judge and magistrates take notes. From L-R: Donna Jones, James Kirby and Nancy North
Local sixth form students observed a bail hearing staged in the University of Portsmouth’s mock courtroom yesterday to learn about human rights.
The event was organised by the School of Law to give sixth formers the opportunity to see exactly how an application for bail would be carried out in a Crown Court.
Two university drama students assumed the roles of a husband and wife involved in an abusive relationship while law students, dressed in wigs and gowns, played advocates in the hearing, which was carried out before a real judge and two magistrates.
Sixth form pupils from Peter Symonds College, Southdowns College and Portsmouth High School were invited to discuss whether they thought both parties’ human rights had been safeguarded and whether the judge had made the right decision.
University students Carmen Flynn, Craig McColl and Jack Lloyd
Lower sixth form pupils Millie Hunter and Lara Hardwick from Portsmouth High School said the whole experience was so real they felt like they were actually in a courtroom watching a genuine hearing. Lara said: “Being in a courtroom setting made it so believable. I’ve never thought about law as a serious career path for me before, but when I came up with the same bail conditions as the judge I was very surprised and really encouraged.”
Drama graduate Carmen Flynn played the role of a wife fearful of her allegedly violent husband and Tom Harrison played the husband desperate to avoid being remanded in custody. Pupils only became aware as the hearing progressed that the husband was in fact the wrongly accused party.
Third year law student Jack Lloyd argued the wife had the right to life and the right not to be ill-treated using articles two and three of the European Convention for the Protection of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms. Craig McColl, also a third year law student, fought on the husband’s behalf against the accusation of assault, using article five – the right to liberty – to support his case.
Drama graduate Tom Harrison awaits the verdict
Bernard Davis, Senior Lecturer from the School of Law, said: “It is fantastic to be able to show local pupils how a bail hearing is executed in court and having the mock courtroom means we can bring an event like this to life. The university is working hard to reach out to local schools and colleges to give young people a flavour of law in a real setting.
“Although the hearing was fictitious, it took place in a courtroom that is a replica of a crown court, complete with dock, witness box, public gallery, jury rooms and interview rooms making it as close to the real-thing as you can get.”
The event was organised as part of the European Local Democracy Week, which aims to celebrate human rights at a local level and runs from October 10-16.
