AN HISTORIC first was held in Winchester this week.

The Lord Chief Justice, Lord Thomas, sat at Winchester Law Courts on Tuesday.

It was the first time that Winchester has hosted the Court of Appeal and the most senior judge in England and Wales, who is normally based at the High Court in The Strand, central London.

Lord Thomas sat for the day in Court Two with the two presiding judges of the Western Circuit, Mr Justice Dingemans and Mrs Justice May.

Among the cases he heard was the appeal for Billy Midmore who was convicted last year and jailed for 15 years, for his role along with his brother Geoffrey in an acid attack on Carla Whitlock in Southampton city centre that left her scarred for life.

The appeal against Midmore’s conviction and also his appeal against the sentence was rejected.

Midmore was not in court but appeared via a video link from prison.

The most senior judge normally in Winchester is Judge Keith Cutler, the Recorder of Winchester, who spoke of his delight before the arrival of Justice Thomas.

Judge Cutler, pictured in red robes, told the Chronicle: “I’m very keen about the Lord Chief Justice coming down. It is a way of showing and recognising that places like Winchester are important legal centres.”

The visit to Winchester was an attempt to make the justice system less London-dominated and the Court of Appeal has already sat in Liverpool and Bristol.

Winchester and Bristol are the two major legal centres on the Western Circuit. Winchester’s pre-eminence dates back to Anglo-Saxon times when Alfred made it the capital of Wessex and a major legal centre.