Who Is Sarah Munro Qc? Ben Oliver Murder Sentencing In Old Bailey
Ben Oliver, charged with the murder of his grandfather David Oliver, was given a life sentence of a minimum of ten years today, 28 July 2022, under the presiding Queen’s Counsel Sarah Munro. Being the first televised sentencing at the Old Bailey, the case is writing its own chapter in legal history. The trial footage was aired on news networks and posted online by Sky News, BBC, ITN, and the PA news agency.
Before this, there was no law to support the broadcast of trials. The decision to permit cameras in the Crown Court came in 2020, but the pandemic postponed the implementation. The modified law now allows the public to view and hear judges defend their rulings in some of the most publicized courtrooms. The cameras will only film the judge during any sentence proceedings to protect victims, witnesses, and jurors’ privacy.
Per se, Sarah Munro Qc became the first judge to have announced sentencing in front of the court camera.
Who Is Sarah Munro Qc?
Her honor Sarah Munro QC is currently a judge at the Central Criminal Court. She became the first judge to pass the decision of a life sentence in front of the camera and live televised across different news channels and online portals.
Sarah Munro was presiding over the court trial of Ben Oliver, a 25-year-old autistic adult, for ruthlessly killing his grandfather David Oliver by continuously stabbing his neck and face. Ben admitted that he had slain his grandfather in a fit of rage. He began to hate his grandfather because of the claims of sexual abuse against him and also because he was alleged to have mistreated his wife and had an affair.
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As a result, Ben decided to take matters into his own hands and mercilessly murdered his grandfather to protect his grandmother. He went back and rationally confessed the crime to his grandmother.
No matter the rationality and reasoning, the act being a heinous crime, Sarah Munro Qc announced a life sentence with a minimum of ten years in prison against Ben Oliver today.
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Judge Sarah Munro Age And Partner
Little information is available regarding Sarah Munro on the web. Looking at her pictures, she seems to be at an elderly age, across fifty. And at that age, she is likely married, has children, or even grandchildren.
Sarah Munro, also known as Sarah Belinda McLeod Munro, was a Queen’s Counsel circuit judge in 2002. Similarly, she has been a Senior Circuit Judge since 2011 and was placed at the Central Criminal Court in 2017. Considering the periods, we can trace her birth year.
It is stated that one needs to have at least ten years of legal experience to become a Queen’s Counsel. Judge Munro must have started practicing law in 1992 because she was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2002. It may imply that she was born in late 1960, considering more than two decades of investment to complete University and a higher level degree. But this is merely an assumption.
Considering her age, she must be married, but her private life is under wraps.
Ben Oliver Trial Live Stream
The trial of Ben Oliver is set to represent legal history at the Old Bailey because its hearing is the first trial broadcasted on news platforms. Sarah Munro Qc announced the decision of life sentence to Ben in front of court cameras. Moreover, people across England heard about the decision in their homes.
England now allows cameras in crown courts following a modification in the law in 2020. Its implementation was scheduled to start immediately but was postponed due to the pandemic. The new rules prohibit the filming of the jury, witnesses, and other attendees in the courtroom. Only the judges’ words as they address the dock will be captured on camera, along with the final verdicts.
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In the past, there had been worries that showing videos from courtrooms might discourage witnesses from providing testimonies. America watched live coverage of OJ Simpson’s 1995 murder trial for the deaths of Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman. It was called a media circus and denounced for offering an unedifying sight.
However, reputable legal figures now support the broadcasting decision in the crown court, including the Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Chancellor, and Justice Secretary of the UK, Dominic Raab. He claims that allowing cameras into the courtroom to record the sentencing of some of the nation’s most serious offenders will increase transparency and boost public confidence in the justice system.
Even Lord Burnett of Maldon, the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales, praised the action as a constructive step toward advancing transparent justice. He further stated that although the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court already have cameras, bringing them to the Crown Court is a breakthrough.
