Today, we had a special visit from three magistrates. They taught all of us in Years Five and Six about how the judicial system works and what job magistrates play in the process. We then had a mock trial where some of us got to play different roles within a court room; we had magistrates, a defendant, usher, legal advisor, prosecution, a defence lawyer as well as a couple of witnesses.
It was interesting to learn that, to find someone guilty, we must be convinced, beyond reasonable doubt, that the defendant had committed the crime. To put a figure on this, we had to be 95% sure in order to prosecute. Whilst after hearing all the evidence and most of us thinking the defendant probably was guilty, our magistrates felt that they weren’t as sure as 95% – so the defendant was found ‘not guilty’. Willow, playing the defendant, was very relieved!
It was a great morning; we had fun and learnt a lot!
