HM Senior Coroner for Cornwall And the Scilly Isles [2024] EWHC 2673 (Admin). 22 October 2024. Judgment here
Where a Coroner has conducted an inquest and, through no fault of their own, done so on the basis of an incomplete picture of the circumstances surrounding the death, both the interests of the bereaved and the
UK Inquest Law Blog
Blog Authors
Latest from UK Inquest Law Blog
Voicing Loss Project Website
The website of the Voicing Loss project: A research and policy project on the role of bereaved people in coroners’ investigations and inquests. is now live here .
The Voicing Loss project has examined the role of bereaved people in coroners’ investigations and inquests. The researchers conducted interviews with bereaved people, coronial professionals and witnesses,…
Language matters: Making reference to a “suicide note” is not appropriate
HM Senior Coroner Sarah Ormond-Walshe v Sherren [2024] EWHC 2332. Judgment (here) 30 July 2024
Language matters, particularly in public life. It is now well accepted that no coroner or inquest lawyer should ever say (or invite a jury to find) that someone has ‘committed suicide’. That archaic term connoting criminal conduct not…
Coronial Law Course: University of Bolton 2024
Commencing 26th September 2024
The Centre for Contemporary Coronial Law at the University of Bolton is pleased to announce that the highly successful Coronial Law short course will be offered again, starting on Thursday, 26th September 2024.
This course is designed for those involved with or aspiring to work within the coronial service. It provides…
A fresh Inquest is neither necessary nor desirable to correct a minor inaccuracy regarding a non-causative matter
Senior Coroner for Northamptonshire v Lovell and Teague [2024] EWHC 2331 (Admin) 30 July 2024. Judgment here
It is rare for the High Court to refuse an application by a Senior Coroner to overturn their own inquest. However in this case the judges were not persuaded that it was either necessary or desirable to make the…
Coroners are judically independent office holders
R (Carr & Glaister) v HM Assistant Coroner for North Wales (East & Central) [2024] EWHC 1983 (Admin). 30 July 2024. (decision here).
As Coroners are slipping on their flip flops and slapping on the suncream, they can go off on holiday happy in the knowledge that it has again been formally stated…
Defining and declaring death
No Art 2 duty owed when a person with capacity exposes themselves to danger
Parkin v HM Asst Coroner Inner London (East), and London Borough of Havering and North East London NHS Foundation Trust (interested parties) [2024] EWHC 744 (Admin) (judgment here) (28 March 2024).
In the context of Article 2, the State’s obligation to take appropriate steps to safeguard the lives of citizens is a constantly evolving…
Death after asbestos exposure: Correlation is not causation (again)
HM Area Coroner for Cumbria v Leech [2023] EWHC 3476 (Admin)
In the wake of the Wandsworth decision (here) in which the High Court emphasised how correlation is not causation when dealing with a death from mesothelioma, those who read the above judgment from a s.13 application will be forgiven be scratching their…
Advocacy opportunities for junior counsel: Cross-jurisdictional guidance that Coroners should note
A 2021 study from the University of Surrey School of Law looking at gender and seniority of counsel before the UK’s highest court[1] (here) has shown that that women are under-represented as leading advocates, especially in major civil and Business and Property Courts litigation before the Supreme Court. Whilst there are some…