Court Records England 1986, how can I find them?

Question:Is it possible to access court records from 1986, online? I want to look up a particular case, what the sentencing was, for research. Can I do that online? This would be for London.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Is it possible to access court records from 1986, online? I want to look up a particular case, what the sentencing was, for research. Can I do that online? This would be for London.

You are almost certain to find yourself stonewalled by the Data Protection Act. Many files are closed to general public access for at least thirty years, sometimes as many as seventy-five or even a hundred years. I myself was once offered an appointment for 1st January 2069 to look at my grandmas school records from the 1930s, and you should prepare for the same kind of disappointment. Special permission is sometimes given to researchers for legitimate research - for example, many 'Jack the Ripper' authors were granted limited access to some records before the official 100year closure rule was up, but I think you need to be a proper accredited journalist for this kind of thing - they don't let ordinary Joe Public in at classified personal records without a very good reason. I'm not even sure you you would need to approach. Probably the court themselves, but they usually apply very strict rules on what you can see - someone stands over you all the time and makes sure you don't take unauthorized copies or photos and only allow handwritten notes. As I've said above, you'll need to be patient and persistant and prepared to be bounced around all kinds of different civil servants and departments and be quoted the Data Protection Act a lot. But if you are clever and very lucky and quote the Freedom of Information Act right back at them, then you might get somewhere. But it won't be easy!

If the case you are after was a high profile one, then you may be able to search the online indexes of "The Times". Several County Libraries operate an online library with free access to "NewsBank" for members which you can use to search for stories, though 'The Times' is the only newspaper that has been completely indexed for this time period. Most other newspapers online archives only begin in 2001 or later. It should have been reported in at least one local newspaper, so if you have a pretty good idea of a date then you could try contacting the British Newspaper Library at Colindale (http://www.bl.uk/collections/newspapers.... and paying them for a search of several local newspapers of the period for a report, but that will cost and cost you big. It is however, your only realistic option.

You might find it at

http://govt-files.com/uk-court-records.h...

Try the web site below, or if you know the area of the case then check out the local newspapers there may have a report.

Less than 100 years old court records are not for public viewing because of the freedom of information act. You will have to go to the court in question and fill in forms, and give reasons as to why you want the information.

If it is for the information regarding an adoption in the UK then you can go to Social Services adoption section, and they will acquire the necessary information for you if you are the person in question.