When Mr West refused to give way, the judge barked at him to sit down six times, banging his gavel on the bench as he did so.
Do judges in English courts actually use gavels?
I keep seeing minor pendantry around the place insisting that they do not, only American judges do.
“Sir Brian said that Mr West’s behaviour, if it became the norm, would cause enormous damage and “cause our present system to collapse for want of sufficient funding”.”
Oh, I dunno, if you can get the fines to stick…
Perhaps he brought in his own from home?
It’s certainly not common practice to use a gavel in English courts but so far as I’m aware there’s nothing to say a judge can’t use one if they choose.
Still, I doubt very much that any gavels were actually banged in this case and suspect that on that score the Telegraph’s report owes more to the popular image of High Court judges in comedy sketches than it does reality.
English judges do not use gavels. I don’t know whether that is by law or by custom, but i suspect the latter.
I’d be more worried about barking judges, could be worse I suppose, they might start singing.
From here:
http://www.judiciary.gov.uk/about-the-judiciary/the-justice-system/court-traditions/
“Although they’re often seen in cartoons and TV programmes and mentioned in almost everything else involving judges, the one place you won’t see a gavel is an English or Welsh courtroom – they are not used there and have never been used in the criminal courts.”
Durham Crown Court versus Christie’s auction house — they look the same to me.
Don’t tell me the Telegraph got something wrong about the criminal justice system…
“The Judge banged his gavel, and the Clerk to the Court applied a soothing ointment”.
I heard that even barristers raised on a diet of things like Law & Order were jumping up in court shouting “objection, Your Honor!” and had to be be sternly reprimanded by M’lud.
Of course they don’t use gavels: water pistols are the preferred item.