Ipswich Crown Court is a

Crown Court The Crown Court is the criminal trial court, court of first instance in England and Wales responsible for hearing all indictable offences, some Hybrid offence, either way offences and appeals of the decisions of magistrates' courts. It is ...

venue which deals with criminal cases at Russell Road,

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Suffolk, England. It is the county town, and largest in Suffolk, followed by Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds, and the third-largest population centre in East Anglia, ...

, England. It was completed in 2004.

History

Until the early 21st century, crown court hearings were held in the Civic Centre complex in Civic Drive, which was completed in the 1960s. After the judicial facilities in the Civic Centre were deemed to be inadequate, the

Lord Chancellor's Department The Lord Chancellor's Department was a United Kingdom government department answerable to the Lord Chancellor with jurisdiction over England and Wales. Created in 1885 as the Lord Chancellor's Office with a small staff to assist the Lord Chance ...

decided to commission a new courthouse: the site chosen formed part of the Ipswich Village Development. The new building was procured under a

Private finance initiative The private finance initiative (PFI) was a United Kingdom government procurement policy aimed at creating "public–private partnerships" (PPPs) where private firms are contracted to complete and manage public projects. Initially launched in 1992 ...

contract in 2001. It was designed by Austin-Smith:Lord in the modern style, built by

Mowlem Mowlem was one of the largest construction and civil engineering companies in the United Kingdom. The company was established as ''John Mowlem and Co.'' by John Mowlem and initially worked on behalf of various local authorities across London ...

and was officially opened by

Lord Falconer Charles Leslie Falconer, Baron Falconer of Thoroton, (born 19 November 1951) is a British Labour politician, peer and barrister who served as Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice under Prime Minister Tony Blair from 2003 to 20 ...

on 15 October 2004. The design involved a long glazed wall, which enclosed the main hall and entrance, and a stainless steel roof which was

cantilever A cantilever is a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is unsupported at one end. Typically it extends from a flat vertical surface such as a wall, to which it must be firmly attached. Like other structural elements, a cantilev ...

ed forward on gable walls supported by narrow columns. The gable walls, the columns and the full-height recessed wall on the extreme right, which displayed a Royal coat of arms, were all constructed from white Suffolk bricks. Internally, the building was laid out to accommodate five courtrooms. Notable cases heard at the court have included the trial and conviction of Steve Wright, in 2008, for the murder of five sex workers, the trial and conviction of Paul Clarke and Lorraine Thorpe, in 2010, for the murder of Rosalyn Hunt and Desmond Thorpe, and the trial and conviction of Stephen Anthony Searle, in 2018, for the murder of his wife, Anne Seale.

Notes

References

{{reflist Buildings and structures in Ipswich Crown Court buildings 2004 establishments in England Court buildings in England Government buildings completed in 2004