Unlawful Killings

Life, Love and Murder: Trials at the Old Bailey

By: Her Honour Wendy Joseph KC

Narrated by: Her Honour Wendy Joseph KC, Rachel Bavidge, Roy McMillan

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.

©2022 Anonymous (P)2022 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

Absolutely superb. 5 stars for sheer readability alone. Her Honour entertains as she educates us about murder, about the law and about how we human beings are shaped as we create the culture we live with. (Philippa Perry, author of The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read)

Fresh, compelling, well-written and unflinchingly authentic. (Emily Penninck)

I really enjoyed this book. If ever I was on trial I would want my judge to be this one. She is compassionate, in control and understands the reality that exists outside the courtroom. Anyone who has worked in the Crown Court would recognise how true to life the court room scenes are. The fictional crime scenarios make compelling stories. What is unique is that they are placed in a wider context which challenges the assumptions that lie behind our criminal justice policy. A great read for those who want to understand how the system works now and why it is going wrong. (Cherie Blair CBE QC)

i wasnlooking forward to this...

This sounded like something I would really enjoy. Then the narrator started trying to do accents or something, but actually just sounded drunk. Then I realised that both the author and narrator must be snobs and that is why I did not like this book. I am on the 5th chapter and decided that I must return this book and use that credit for something with more credit. Sad if a well-respected judge comes accross as having no credit...the judge must have a really had a story to tell...maybe she just employed the wrong narrator. The author tries to prove from the start that she is making/made a difference but she wants to prove it because her life's work did not prove it or make any significant difference. It is a last grab at trying your best at life/your past life.

What an incredible listen

(if you’re looking for reviews, check the .co.uk reviews tab)

The only thing I can say about this book that isn’t slack-jawed praise is that I can’t for the life of me figure out how to get the “accompanying PDF” that the narrator keeps referring to.

Brilliant

Fastest, I’ve ever listed to an audiobook. Just great. Judge Joseph has used her experience to write 6 vignettes of what she see’s everyday in court.
Voice performances were very good.

An insightful book

A book about the law and its attributes and shortcomings with stories that will put into perspective what goes on at the Old Bailey.

Just read the book!

A very interesting book. The narrator must really not try to change her voice! It is really horrible. It is very irritating and take away the overall enjoyment of an otherwise good book.