Stapleford History Society 13 May 2025
A talk by Rev Dr Simon Taylor KC
There was another excellent turnout for this speaker’s talk. Simon Taylor is now the incumbent priest for the parish of Stapleford and a part-time criminal barrister and judge. He was educated at Cambridge University where he studied Medicine to start with, then Law, eventually qualifying in both. His particular expertise is in cases involving cerebral palsy, meningitis, other brain and spinal injuries and multiple amputations.
The speaker began by describing the Court system, from the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal, and making clear the various courts that deal with civil and criminal matters. The High Court, the County Courts and a range of tribunals and councils cover the civil issues while the Crown Courts, including the Old Bailey, and Magistrate Courts deal with criminal charges.
The speaker then discussed the reasons why people sue. He made it clear that people need financial help in adapting their homes when they have to care for someone who needs a wheelchair, for example, and/or cannot be carried upstairs. Bathrooms need to be altered; transport needs must be satisfied and additional care provision is expensive.
We were then shown a picture of Gracie and Rosie, conjoined twins, whose parents did not want them to be separated even though their doctors said it would be better if one survived rather than both died. The High Court has a protective jurisdiction when the best interests of the clients need to be prioritised and decided that the twins should be separated. Rosie died within a day while Gracie has flourished and wants to study Medicine.
The issue of the Chagos Islands/British Indian Ocean territory and the duplicity of the claim that there was no population to be expelled when the US wanted a base in the Indian Ocean was then explored. The speaker talked about the institutional cruelty against the citizens of those islands.
Lastly, we were shown a video of a Crown Court trial and asked to decide the verdict. The accused had been riding pillion on a friend’s motorbike. He dragged a woman’s handbag off her while threatening her with a knife. When she fell she hurt her shoulder. We learnt that this was the accused’s fourth offence and even the Defence Counsel’s plea that his girlfriend was pregnant carried no weight with the Society members. The fact that the accused had admitted his guilt meant that he finally got a 9 year term reduced to 6, though some in the audience would have preferred 9…
Report by Jane Steadman