A mock trial competition gave schoolchildren the chance to play defendants, prosecutors and magistrates.

Pupils aged 12 to 14 from Acland Burghley School in Burghley Road, Tufnell Park, gave convincing performances at Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court in Holloway Road, Highbury Corner as they took on rivals from a school in Brentford.

The fictional case saw teenagers accused of handling stolen goods following an attack on a newsagent.

Magistrate Mel Simon said: “Some of their performances were truly amazing. Several of them have now expressed a desire to have careers in law, and all of them will have discovered things in themselves that they did not know they were capable of.”

The contest was overseen by real magistrates and legal professionals, as Acland Burghley, twice a winner in previous years, lost its heat in a close-fought battle.