Visit to Magistrates' Courts When we visited Sutton Coldfield Magistrates' Courts. We saw a number of cases (mainly theft cases). The staff were very friendly and showed us all around the courts. Firstly they showed us into the 2 main Courtrooms, court 1 & 2. There we saw where the Magistrate's sit at the back of the room to where the public gallery is, and then in front of them is where the Court Clerk and the Usher …showed first 75 words of 538 total…

…showed last 75 words of 538 total…gone done and the case was for a motoring offence and the defendant had to swear on the bible that he didn't have any other motoring offences that should be taken into account. The Court Clerk would call the Magistrate's Sir/Madam as a sign of respect. They would advise the Magistrate's on what sentence they could give the defendant. But ultimately the decision is with the Magistrate's whether a person is fined or imprisoned.