The Killing of Blair Peach – London Review of Books

Posted May 16th, 2014 in coroners, demonstrations, inquests, news, police, reports by sally

‘‘As a campaign meeting, it must have been one of the biggest yet, a hundred National Front supporters, three and a half thousand police and thousands of Asian demonstrators.’ This was the way News at Ten began its report of the clashes in Southall on 23 April 1979, midway through the general election campaign that would end with the victory of Margaret Thatcher. The report contained footage of police officers arresting middle-aged men in turbans, women sitting down in the road and demonstrators with their heads swaddled in bandages. The final images showed around twenty NF supporters, all men, giving Nazi salutes as they went into Southall Town Hall.’

Full story

London Review of Books, 22nd May 2014

Source: www.lrb.co.uk

Backlog in coroners’ courts: Bereaved families wait up to seven years for inquests – The Independent

Posted April 14th, 2014 in bereavement, coroners, courts, delay, inquests, news by sally

‘A new standards code calls for investigations to be completed within six months.’

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The Independent, 13th April 2014

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Duggan inquest: family win right to challenge coroner’s direction to jury – The Guardian

Posted April 8th, 2014 in appeals, coroners, inquests, news, unlawful killing by sally

‘The family of Mark Duggan whose shooting by the Metropolitan police sparked riots across the country in 2011 have won the right to challenge a coroner’s directions to the jury that concluded the officer’s actions were lawful.’

Full story

The Guardian, 8th April 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

How not to get a pre-inquest review wrong – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted February 28th, 2014 in coroners, expert witnesses, inquests, medicines, news by sally

‘This is the sad tale of a young woman aged 31 dying in mysterious circumstances where the inquest went off entirely on the wrong footing. Joanne Foreman was not a diabetic but lived with a young boy who was. It was suspected that on the night before she died she had drunk heavily and then injected herself with insulin. The inquest proceeded on this basis. Nobody told the expert that the paramedics had taken a blood glucose from Joanne, which was entirely normal. Once this was known, it was obvious that the court would quash the findings at inquest and order a new inquest.’

Full story

UK Human Rights Blog, 25th February 2014

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Bereaved families at the heart of the coroner system – Ministry of Justice

Posted February 26th, 2014 in bereavement, coroners, families, inquests, reports by tracey

‘Bereaved loved ones will be put at the heart of the coroner system, Justice Minister Simon Hughes said today as he launched a new guide for people who have to become involved with inquests.’

Full guide

Ministry of Justice, 24th February 2014

Source: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice

Publication of reports to prevent future deaths – CrimeLine

Posted January 14th, 2014 in coroners, news, publishing, reports by tracey

‘Reports made by coroners to help prevent future deaths will be routinely published online for the first time today (Tuesday 14th January). Following an inquest a coroner may make a report to a person, organisation, local authority or government department or agency with a view to preventing future deaths (a PFD report). From today the Chief Coroner’s office will publish PFD (preventing future deaths) reports made by coroners on the judiciary website and for the first time the public will have access to these reports online in a readable and searchable format.’

Full story

CrimeLine, 14th January 2014

Source: www.crimeline.info

Mark Duggan coroner invites family to help shape police gun policy – The Guardian

Posted January 13th, 2014 in coroners, families, firearms, inquests, news, police, victims by tracey

‘The coroner in the Mark Duggan inquest is to invite the dead man’s family to help shape police firearms procedure. The senior circuit judge Keith Cutler, who is preparing recommendations on firearms procedure for the home secretary after issues raised at the inquest, described his decision to consult the family as “unusual, perhaps unique” but the right thing to do to achieve transparency.’

Full story

The Guardian, 12th January 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Solicitor jailed after stealing £2m from his clients and their families – Daily Telegraph

‘The victims of a corrupt solicitor and former Coroner who stole from their loved ones’ estates have been left asking how he managed to get away with it for so long.’

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 15th December 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Coroner Alan Crickmore jailed for eight years over £2m theft – BBC News

Posted November 29th, 2013 in coroners, fraud, news, sentencing, theft by sally

“A former Gloucestershire coroner has been jailed for eight years for stealing £2m from clients, some of whom had died, at his solicitors practice.”

Full story

BBC News, 28th November 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Alexander Litvinenko inquest: high court halts lifting of secrecy order – The Guardian

Posted November 27th, 2013 in closed material, coroners, disclosure, inquests, intelligence services, murder, news, Russia by tracey

‘The government has won a high court order to prevent the partial lifting of a secrecy order affecting the proposed inquest into the death of former KGB spy Alexander Litvinenko.’

Full story

The Guardian, 27th November 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Coroner Alan Crickmore pleads guilty to £2 million fraud of the dead – Daily Telegraph

Posted October 18th, 2013 in abuse of position of trust, coroners, executors, fraud, news, solicitors by tracey

“A coroner has pleaded guilty to a £2 million fraud which saw him steal some of the money from the estates of the dead.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 17th October 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

New reforms to increase diversity of coroners – Ministry of Justice

Posted October 14th, 2013 in barristers, coroners, diversity, legal executives, news, solicitors by sally

“Changes designed to increase the diversity of coroners and competition for positions, have been announced by new Justice Minister Shailesh Vara.”

Full story

Ministry of Justice, 14th October 2013

Source: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice

Jimmy Mubenga coroner issues damning report on deportations – The Guardian

“A coroner who oversaw the inquest into the death of the Angolan deportee Jimmy Mubenga has issued a highly critical report that raises a series of concerns about the way the government and private contractors deport people from the UK.”

Full story

The Guardian, 4th August 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Coroner advised by ombudsman over transgender teacher comments – Daily Telegraph

“A coroner who wrote to the Culture Secretary to express his disgust at the press following the death of a transgender teacher has been criticised by the Office for Judicial Complaints.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 2nd August 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Coroner’s court overhaul begins in England and Wales – BBC News

Posted July 25th, 2013 in codes of practice, coroners, courts, delay, inquests, news by tracey

“Most inquests in England and Wales will be completed within six months
under a new code of standards for coroners which has come into effect.”

Full story

BBC News, 25th July 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Dr David Kelly: 10 years on, death of scientist remains unresolved for some – The Guardian

Posted July 17th, 2013 in BBC, coroners, evidence, inquiries, Iraq, news, suicide, war, weapons, whistleblowers by sally

“Death of WMD dossier scientist contributed to erosion of trust in politics.”

Full story

The Guardian, 16th July 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Litvinenko public inquiry blocked by government – BBC News

Posted July 12th, 2013 in coroners, inquiries, murder, news, poisoning, spying by tracey

“The government has refused a request to hold a public inquiry into the death of ex-KGB spy Alexander Litvinenko, the coroner has announced.”

Full story

BBC News, 12th July 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

New coroner rules aim to reduce inquest delays – BBC News

Posted July 4th, 2013 in codes of practice, coroners, delay, inquests, news, time limits by sally

“Coroners in England and Wales will have to meet a new code of standards to make inquests more efficient.”

Full story

BBC News, 4th July 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

The good Samaritan doctor and the Human Tissue Act – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted June 27th, 2013 in blood products, coroners, doctors, human tissue, news by sally

“You would have thought the law would be entirely behind a person who intervenes to help a stranger in distress. Indeed most civil law countries impose a positive duty to rescue, which means that if a person finds someone in need of medical help, he or she must take all reasonable steps to seek medical care and render best-effort first aid. A famous example of this was the investigation into the photographers at the scene of Lady Diana’s fatal car accident: they were suspected of violation of the French law of “non-assistance à personne en danger” (deliberately failing to provide assistance to a person in danger), which can be punished by up to 5 years imprisonment and a fine of up to 70,000 euros. But the position in common law countries like the UK and the United States is completely different: you can watch a child drown and not be held to account.”

Full story

UK Human Rights Blog, 26th June 2013

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Call for resuscitation clarity after ‘disturbing’ death – BBC News

Posted June 19th, 2013 in care homes, coroners, hospitals, medical records, news by sally

“Five organisations have received coroner’s letters highlighting the ‘disturbing’ death of a woman after paramedics were called to a care home.”

Full story

BBC News, 19th June 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk