The Old Bailey: Eight Centuries of Crime, Cruelty and Corruption - London, UK - There's a Book About It on Waymarking.com

The Amazon website tells us about the book:

Compelling curiosities, horrific brutality and cases of routine corruption are to be found in the events which make up the history of London's Old Bailey. Theresa Murphy, a writer on diverse subjects, is concerned to see the modern flaws of the British criminal justice system in the context of Old Bailey history through a fascinating collection of historical anecdotes and outlines of more recent cases. More descriptive than analytical, The Old Bailey, in its coverage of the gruesome horrors of the past, attains a grisly Chamber of Horrors sort of appeal. It can also be highly entertaining in its lighter, less macabre passages. Murphy provides sparks of contention as her criticisms of the system's continued flaws occasionally pierce the historical narrative. The courts in which judges are nurtured, she states, are "narrow and hardening", even now places of "ludicrous ill-fitting wigs" and "archaic language peppered with hypocrisy." She illustrates how now, as in the past, a high degree of personal power rests in the hands of judges, ensuring that "anomalies in sentencing must be expected and accepted." Posing questions rather than providing answers, this book should appeal not only to those who relish the more unsavoury elements of social history but also to anyone interested in pondering the development and current state of Britain's judicial system.

Wikipedia tells us:

The Central Criminal Court of England and Wales, commonly known as the Old Bailey from the street on which it stands, is a court in London and one of a number of buildings housing the Crown Court. Part of the present building stands on the site of the medieval Newgate gaol, on Old Bailey, a road which follows the line of the City of London's fortified wall (or bailey), which runs from Ludgate Hill to the junction of Newgate Street and Holborn Viaduct.

The Crown Court sitting at the Central Criminal Court deals with major criminal cases from Greater London and, in exceptional cases, from other parts of England and Wales. Trials at the Old Bailey, as at other courts, are open to the public, albeit subject to stringent security procedures.