A former Old Bailey murder trial judge will be speaking at the Dorset crime and thriller festival Lyme Crime in June. 

Her Honour Wendy Joseph QC, who practised at the Criminal Bar for 30 years before spending 15 as a judge, will reveal the inner workings of a crown court and why we should all be invested in a judicial process that transforms so many ordinary lives.

It will be her first public appearance since stepping down from the bench.

She was one of only a handful of judges qualified to preside over murder trials at the Old Bailey.

Ms Joseph will be discussing her new book, Unlawful Killings, which examines six high-profile murder and manslaughter cases over which she presided. 

During the event, she’ll describe how cases unfold and illustrate exactly what it's like to be a murder trial judge and a witness to human good and bad. Sometimes very bad. 

She’ll be looking at why people kill, and what murder and the judicial process can tell us about society. 

The event will take place at the Marine Theatre on Saturday, June 17 at 6.30pm.

Festival director Paddy Magrane, who’ll be interviewing her, said: "In what promises to be a fascinating event, Wendy Joseph will be giving us unique access to a world we only ever glimpse on the news or in television dramas.

"I’m incredibly grateful to the Alexandra Hotel and Lyme Regis Town Council for their support of this event."