Part I CONSTITUTION OF Senior Courts

The Crown Court

8 The Crown Court.

(1)

The jurisdiction of the Crown Court shall be exercisable by—

(a)

any judge of the High Court; or

(b)

any Circuit judge F1, Recorder, qualifying judge advocate or District Judge (Magistrates' Courts) ; or

(c)

subject to and in accordance with the provisions of sections 74 and 75(2), a judge of the High Court, Circuit judge F2 , Recorder or qualifying judge advocate sitting with not more than four justices of the peace,

and any such persons when exercising the jurisdiction of the Crown Court shall be judges of the Crown Court.

F3(1A)

The jurisdiction of the Crown Court exercisable by a qualifying judge advocate by virtue of subsection (1) is the jurisdiction of the Court in relation to any criminal cause or matter other than an appeal from a youth court.

F4(2)

A justice of the peace is not disqualified from acting as a judge of the Crown Court merely because the proceedings are not at a place within the local justice area to which he is assigned or because the proceedings are not related to that area in any other way.

(3)

When the Crown Court sits in the City of London it shall be known as the Central Criminal Court; and the Lord Mayor of the City and any Alderman of the City shall be entitled to sit as judges of the Central Criminal Court with any judge of the High Court F5, Circuit judge, Recorder, qualifying judge advocate or District Judge (Magistrates' Courts) .

F6(4)

Subsection (1A) does not affect the jurisdiction of the Crown Court exercisable by a person who holds an office mentioned in subsection (1)(a) or (b) where that person is also a qualifying judge advocate.