I paid my first visit to the Old Bailey this week.

The court itself seems far less imposing in real life than it appears in photographs or on television. Its front door, a semi-transparent greyish-brownish glass affair, is tucked into the heel of the building, without access for natural light and without the pomp and circumstance one might expect from the Central Criminal Court.

Instead, it opens onto a tiny, gloomy reception area where anyone who isn't considered a "member of the public" piles in and then has to go through the same security checks as in any other crown court - but with some added extras just to make sure you really know where you are.

First of all, I actually had to show my press card, instead of just ambling in, as with Snaresbrook, for example - though there was a certain sense of satisfaction in the knowledge that I own such a card. Secondly, there is a rather peculiar space age-looking vertical perspex tube to go through before you hit the main building. It only admits one person at a time, signalling people in with a little green LED, and is immediately succeeded by an airport-style baggage scanner in a little alcove to the right of the entrance.

This makes for a distinctly squashed entrance but I set off no alarms, and, after executing some subtle following of other people, I found my way to court 11. The hearing in question was the acceptance of a guilty plea for manslaughter and attempted murder, and despite lasting just 40 minutes, it provided some very interesting copy. For one thing, it was the first successful 'double jeopardy' prosecution (i.e. retrying someone for an offence for which they were acquitted) and for another, the background to the story is gut-wrenchingly horrific.

The man who pleaded guilty, former Maidstone United footballer Mario Celaire, savagely beat two of his ex-girlfriends, one of whom subsequently died after drowning in her own vomit. But the other survived and despite being left disabled by the attack, she was able to give evidence against him, leading to his eventual conviction.

There is something slightly unreal about the experience of visiting the Old Bailey. Its overall lack of natural light casts a sepia-tinted gloom across its innards and once you get past all the security checks, there is a feeling of being inside the belly of the beast. There is nothing of the humdrum everyday banality of local crown courts - this is where truly evil people, who have committed unspeakable crimes, come to be tried and the feeling was difficult to shake, even outside in the balmy May sunshine.

Finally, it is my first anniversary at the WFG today. Exactly one year ago, I joined the paper as a wide-eyed, inexperienced trainee, fresh from my preliminary training and today...well, perhaps the eyes are still a little wide, but I'd like to think I've earned my stripes over the last 12 months, what with one thing and another. As to the months and years ahead, it's impossible to predict how things will pan out - but here's hoping it will be at least as interesting as this year has been.