On Saturday, 22 June, a group of sixteen Year 9 students travelled to Croydon with Mr. Sahraoui and Mr. Abdulla to participate in the finals of the Mock Magistrates competition. We had successfully made it through the first Mock Magistrates competition, in which we were up against other secondary schools in Southwest London. After our initial success, we shifted our focus onto the next upcoming trial at hand – Alex Davies vs. Toni Clark.

We all knew that the trial would be more difficult this time around, and thankfully, we had five weeks of practice to perfect our witness responses and the order in which court would proceed.

We ensured our lawyers – Sahil Kotak, Anneka Chumber, Diya Khosla and Simran Kaur Punny – were sharp and concise with both their questioning and their follow-ups when interrogating our witnesses – Marlon Fernandes, Jaya Kaur Dhillon, Inderpreet Digpal and Jasmin Sangha.

As we neared the Crown Court, notes were frantically skimmed over, and brief questioning processes were hurriedly executed. Everybody was on their toes. Clutching notes in hands and adjusting the collars of our blazers, we entered the Crown Court. It dawned on us that we were in the finals.

After a brief intermission introducing us to the volunteers at Croydon Crown Court and explaining the schedule of which we would participate in the trials, we were guided into Courtroom F, where we went face-to-face with the opposing team, The Noble School. Anjali Narine, our team’s usher, walked us through the events occurring in the trial, and our defence, Anneka and Diya, excelled in their efforts in proving Marlon’s innocence. Inderpreet, our defence witness, helped on the side of Marlon, contributing to clearing him of the charges he faced. An overwhelming majority of the seven magistrates, including Manuel Lawson, Rawiyah Said and Aman Ghatora, ruled Marlon not guilty. With high hopes, we quickly proceeded into the next trial.

After a twenty minute interval, we arrived at courtroom A, in which we were tasked with prosecuting the defendant of Ebbw Fawr Learning Community. Our legal advisor, Geet Mann, prompted the progression of events and outlined important evidence for our Magistrates, aiding them in the tough decision put upon them. Ebbw Fawr Learning Community was a fierce opponent, firing witty and developed questions at our prosecution witnesses, Jaya and Jasmin. Sahil and Simran put forth challenging questions that left the opposing team searching for a suitable response. However, the defendant was deemed not guilty, despite our unwavering dedication to demonstrate their guilt.

Following the wrap up of our final trial, we all gathered in Courtroom C, awaiting the results. We placed fourth, from a staggering two hundred schools from across the country – an amazing feat!

Alexandra Jones [9R], Simran Kaur Punny [9B] & Lacey Griffiths [9W]