I want to tell you about my appearance at the Old Bailey.

And no, it’s not what you might think, but rather a fascinating couple of hours I spent in the public galleries.

The Old Bailey is not one court but 18, all of them handling serious criminal cases, and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t partly driven by morbid fascination and the prospect of sitting in on a juicy trial.

However, if you visit the official website, you will see that they are keen on spectators for another reason - because actually seeing it in action provides visitors with a better understanding of the workings of the legal system, and they hopefully go away with more confidence in it.

The trial we got to see involved conspiracy to murder, and we watched the judge instructing the jury on the multiple judgements they would have to make, followed by the prosecuting lawyer beginning his summing up.

Visitors are warned not to expect it to be like Rumpole of the Bailey, but actually, amid all the mundane bits, I did find the reality was quite gripping.

In the end, I think we did get a good insight into the legal system, at the same time learning a few interesting things about the criminal underworld, including the surprisingly low cost of hiring a hit man.

Human life can sometimes be valued even more cheaply, as anyone who watched last week’s harrowing ITV drama might conclude.

Called simply Anne, it was about the real-life struggle of Anne Williams, whose son, Kevin, was one of the 97 people who were unlawfully killed at Hillsborough in 1989.

On that terrible day I was at a football match myself (at the County Ground), so I have always felt solidarity with those involved, and followed their campaign closely. But there are shocking and important details I was unaware of until I watched the drama.

Those innocent Liverpool fans still haven’t been given proper justice, even though Anne Williams spent the rest of her life highlighting the gross incompetence, the serious misconduct and the shameless cover-up that was Hillsborough.

After being let down in turn by South Yorkshire Police, certain parts of the national press, most politicians, a coroner, judicial review judges and a public inquiry, she died in 2013.

This heroic woman surely deserves some kind of posthumous recognition for her resilience, perhaps in the form of an official honour. But I think we all know that such honours are not designed for people like her, who stand up and challenge a system that favours and protects those in power, even when they are responsible for horrors such as Hillsborough.

So I thoroughly recommend visiting the Old Bailey - because it genuinely did boost my confidence in trial by jury and the long arm of the law.

But check out Anne’s story, too, for the bigger picture of a system that makes sure that rich, powerful and perhaps even royal people are perpetually beyond its reach.