Oxford Crown Court prepares extra security for a media storm as the Rapper Slowthai trial approaches.

Can the Court Deal with a national trial?

Credits via Wikimedia Commons

The rapper, whose real name is Tyron Frampton, 29, pleaded not guilty to two charges of rape. Co-defendant Alex Blake-Walker, 25, also pleaded not guilty at Oxford Crown Court to one count of rape and two sexual assaults on Thursday, June 15. 

The rapper who is accused of raping a woman twice on September 8, 2021. After performing at local venue The Bullingdon. His trial starts at Oxford Crown Court on the 25th of November. Slowthai‘s debut studio album, Nothing Great About Britain was nominated for the Mercury Prize in 2019. 

When asked for a statement regarding what Oxford Crown Court is doing to address potential increased public interest: “This case is to be listed in our largest courtroom, which has capacity for around 60-70 persons with separate designated areas of seating for the public, the press, and any family members of people involved in the case.” 

They further add: “The court has taken the precaution of having extra security in order to ensure the smooth running of the court. This is a regular process when we have high-profile cases or where we are expecting large numbers of attendees.”

This trial might be the biggest one Oxford Crown Court has seen in a while. This last time Oxford Crown Court received a large amount of attention was in 2006 with the trial of Benjamin Geen, a British nurse, convicted of murdering two patients and harming fifteen others while working at Horton General Hospital in Banbury, Oxfordshire, between 2003 and 2004. This case brought a large amount of national and global media attention to the city courts. With a number of media shows focusing on his cases, including CBS’ reality program The Jury Room.