Unlawful Killings
Life, Love and Murder: Trials at the Old Bailey
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Unlawful Killings
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Narrated by:
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Her Honour Wendy Joseph KC
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Rachel Bavidge
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Roy McMillan
About this listen
Brought to you by Penguin.
Every day in the UK lives are suddenly, brutally, wickedly taken away. Victims are shot or stabbed. Less often they are strangled or suffocated or beaten to death. Rarely they are poisoned, pushed off high buildings, drowned or set alight. Then there are the many who are killed by dangerous drivers, or corporate gross negligence. There are a lot of ways you can kill someone. I know because I've seen most of them at close quarters.
As one of just a few judges licensed to try murder cases at the Old Bailey, the author has presided over many of the high-profile cases that all too often grab our attention in dramatic media headlines—for every unlawful death tells a story. But, unlike most of us, a judge doesn't get to turn the page and move on. Nor does the defendant, or the family of the victim, nor the many other people who populate the court room.
Peeling apart six dramatic murder and manslaughter cases, Unlawful Killings removes this distinction between 'them' and 'us'. By detailing the inner workings of the Old Bailey and UK law, the author makes clear that each of us has a vested interest in what happens in the court room—especially when it comes to the death of a fellow human being. Any one of us could end up in the witness-box or even in the dock. And yet most people have only the sketchiest idea of what happens inside a Crown Court. With breath-taking skill and deep compassion, the author describes how cases unfold and illustrates exactly what it's like to be a murder trial judge and a witness to human good and bad. Sometimes very bad.
Right now, with our courts straining under the weight of the many heinous crimes being committed, it's not merely the system that is flawed. The fracture lines that run through our society are becoming harder and harder to ignore and, from a unique vantage point, the author warns that we do so at our peril.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Dawn
- 18-12-23
Fascinating
One of the best audible books I've listened to in a long time. Fascinating insights into criminal law and what happens in the court room. Although the cases are not strictly true, being amalgamations of real cases, it's still utterly gripping.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Scubamad
- 10-06-23
Incredibly enlightening
I’m familiar with Courts as I have to give expert witness testimony however I found this book incredibly enlightening into the way in which Judges reach their decisions.
The narrator is questionable due to the accents used however that aside this is an excellent audiobook.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- spuddypud
- 07-02-24
Brilliant - all would be offenders should listen to this!
The initial ‘setting the scene’ before each killing was amazing … we hear about unlawful killings all the time on the news and we hear it and sadly get on with our life. It really hit home the way in which it was portrayed …
Definitely going to pre-order Judge Joseph’s next book … fascinating insight into the criminal justice system
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Lyndsey
- 04-01-24
Great insight to legal system
Loved this from start to finish.
The empathy felt for some of the victims and offenders was surprising. Definitely worth the listen !
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Miss D L Doull
- 07-10-22
Astoundingly brilliant
Very informative around our judicial system . The narrator goes through cases of killings in a very clear and concise way. Also covering a wide rage of societal issues. Fascinating!
I went through a range of emotions, I often feel that’s a sign of a good book!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 16-08-22
Excellent
An excellent and revealing book about the justice system with case studies that are fascinating and compelling.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Corsaire
- 07-03-23
Excellent summary of legal procedure
Although this is strictly 'true crime' it may not be what you are expecting. It is an excellent and humane account of how the law works, the many factors that a judge has to consider, and all kinds of detail about how jurues are selected and so on. It's fascinating and performed perfectly, but not quite what I expected.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Sarah
- 02-11-23
Good Narrator
I liked the narrator as she makes the book come alive and we can see that Wendy Joseph has a sense of humour with all the horrors that she has to deal with.
Very well done!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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- L.w
- 06-10-22
Great insight into courtroom cases.
Laid out in cases, this book intices you to think critcally and reflect on the justice system. The cases chosen are unique and shine a light on the the fact that not all cases are black and white. Listening can get a little annoying with the changing accents, but bear with it.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- S
- 17-10-22
brilliant
superb narrators .enjoyed all except for trial 4 offerings i
lost sleep ....actuaĺly feel a bit traumatised ..and im pretty resilient but that barrister needs sacking .
to bully a 9 Yr old like that is cruel .Must be more creative and intelligent ways to get to the truth was going to suggest it was part of school curriculum..until I read that.
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