About - Judge David Fletcher
"I want the Community Justice Centre to have a real impact on the lives of local residents by helping to solve the problems that cause crime in their neighbourhoods, as well as dealing with crime itself. By listening carefully to the concerns of residents and working closely with the community, we are already helping to tackle some of the issues affecting quality of life in the area."
Judge David Fletcher
David Fletcher was appointed as Judge of the Community Justice Centre, North Liverpool, at the end of 2004. Between December 2004 and August 2005, when the centre's building in Boundary Street opened its doors, he heard hundreds of cases from a temporary courtroom in Liverpool Magistrates' Court.
Alongside his duties in court, Judge Fletcher spends time visiting the neighbourhoods within North Liverpool to find out about the issues that affect the lives of local people. He meets regularly with many of the local agencies that provide support and services for the centre.
Born in North Staffordshire in 1957, Judge Fletcher has a personal association with Liverpool, having studied law at Liverpool University in the late seventies. Following his graduation, he attended the College of Law in Chester. After qualifying as a solicitor in 1981 and later qualifying as a Higher Courts Advocate, he practiced until 2003, most recently heading up a large Crown Court department in a specialist criminal practice in Stoke on Trent.
He has held a wide range of judicial positions including acting Stipendiary Magistrate and Deputy District Judge (Magistrates' Court). He became a full time District Judge at Sheffield Magistrates' Court in June 2003.
Within the Community Justice Centre's courtroom, Judge Fletcher can sit as a District Judge (Magistrates' Court) or as a Circuit Judge. This means he has the full range of sentencing powers available to him, allowing him to handle cases that ordinarily might be passed from a Magistrates' Court to a Crown Court.
The Judge works with a team of experts at the centre, which helps to make sure offenders not only repay their debt to the local community, but also address the issues that make them commit crimes.
The Judge calls upon the expertise of all the partner agencies housed within the centre, on issues such as drug and alcohol problems, housing, employment opportunities and education. He can also offer one-to-one support for offenders or their families from volunteer mentors. He is kept up to date with the progress of offenders and can order them to return to court if they do not complete their sentence.