Category: coroners

Rachel Johnston: Neglect contributed to woman’s teeth removal death – BBC News

Posted February 12th, 2021 in care homes, causing death of children or vulnerable adults, coroners, dentists, disabled persons, inquests, medical treatment, negligence, news, professional conduct by tracey

‘A disabled woman whose brain was starved of oxygen after an operation to remove all her teeth would probably have survived if care home staff acted sooner, an inquest heard. Staff at Pirton Grange Care Home, near Worcester, failed to spot Rachel Johnston was developing hypoxia. A coroner concluded neglect contributed to her death just over two weeks after she was taken to hospital.’

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BBC News, 11th February 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

The woman who live-tweets inquests – BBC News

Posted February 10th, 2021 in autism, coroners, disabled persons, inquests, internet, news by sally

‘George Julian is crowdfunding to attend coroners’ courts and live-tweet the inquests of people with learning disabilities and autism.’

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BBC News, 10th February 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Inquest finds mother took overdose after removal of disability benefits – The Guardian

Posted January 28th, 2021 in benefits, coroners, government departments, inquests, mental health, news, suicide by sally

‘A severely mentally ill young mother died from a deliberate overdose after the removal of her disability benefits left her destitute, trapped in a months-long state of high anxiety and haunted by suicidal thoughts, an inquest has concluded.’

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The Guardian, 27th January 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Reflections on Maughan: disclosure in inquests – Henderson Chambers

Posted January 28th, 2021 in appeals, chambers articles, coroners, disclosure, inquests, news, standard of proof, Supreme Court, unlawful killing by sally

‘Inquests are not adversarial proceedings. However, the Supreme Court decision in Maughan (lowering the standard of proof for an inquest conclusion of ‘unlawful killing’ to the balance of probabilities) has left practitioners concerned about the ability of the coronial process to protect Interested Persons (“IPs”) from the serious reputational damage such a conclusion will inevitably cause. This article looks at one critical part of the process, namely disclosure.’

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Henderson Chambers, 19th January 2021

Source: www.hendersonchambers.co.uk

Widow leads fight over smart motorways after landmark crash inquest – The Independent

Posted January 25th, 2021 in accidents, bereavement, coroners, corporate manslaughter, inquests, news, police, road safety, roads by tracey

‘The widow of a motorist who died on a smart motorway is leading the fight to have them banned after a coroner concluded they pose “an ongoing risk of future deaths”.’

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The Independent, 23rd January 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Standard of Proof and the Chief Coroner’s Law Sheet No.6 – Maughan and Beyond – Parklane Plowden Chambers

Posted January 22nd, 2021 in appeals, chambers articles, civil justice, coroners, inquests, news, standard of proof, Supreme Court, unlawful killing by sally

‘On 13th January 2021, the new Chief Coroner, HHJ Teague QC, published Law Sheet No.6. This new guidance comes exactly two months after the Supreme Court gave judgment on 13th November 2020 in the case of R (on the application of Thomas Maughan) v. HM Senior Coroner for Oxfordshire [2020] UKSC 46 where it ruled by majority that all conclusions in coronial inquests, whether short form or narrative, are to be determined on the civil standard of proof: the balance of probabilities.’

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Parklane Plowden Chambers, 19th January 2021

Source: www.parklaneplowden.co.uk

Guildford pub bomb police took action to keep files closed – BBC News

Posted December 2nd, 2020 in closed material, conflict of interest, coroners, disclosure, documents, explosives, inquests, news, Northern Ireland, police, terrorism by tracey

‘The police force investigating the Guildford pub bombs has been accused of a conflict of interest after it took legal action to keep archives closed. More than 700 files on the 1974 IRA bombs had been due to open this year but were retained by the Home Office. Inquest papers have shown Surrey Police applied for the files to stay closed.’

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BBC news, 2nd December 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Suicide and the burden of proof – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted December 1st, 2020 in burden of proof, coroners, inquests, news, standard of proof, suicide by sally

‘Although suicide was decriminalised more than 60 years ago, it was still always necessary to meet the criminal standard of proof when reaching a finding that someone had taken their own life. But this month, in a departure from this common understanding, the Supreme Court in R (Maughan) v HM Coroner for Oxfordshire [2020] UKSC 46 found that the ‘degree of conclusivity’ required was, in fact, the civil standard – the balance of probabilities.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 30th November 2020

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Landmark inquest to rule if air pollution killed London pupil – The Guardian

Posted November 30th, 2020 in bereavement, causing death of children or vulnerable adults, children, coroners, environmental health, families, government departments, inquests, news, pollution by sally

‘An inquest is to consider evidence that illegal levels of air pollution caused the death of a nine-year-old girl, in a landmark legal case.’

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The Guardian, 30th November 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

What really happened to Edson Da Costa? – The Guardian

Posted November 30th, 2020 in bereavement, coroners, disciplinary procedures, families, inquests, inquiries, news, police, professional conduct, race discrimination, racism, stop and search, victims by sally

‘He was 25, a father and a car mechanic. Five minutes after being stopped by police on 15 June 2017, he was lying unresponsive on the ground. After an inquest and inquiry, family and friends are still fighting for justice’

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The Guardian, 29th November 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Elizabeth Dixon death investigation reveals “20-year cover-up” – The Guardian

Posted November 27th, 2020 in bereavement, causing death of children or vulnerable adults, children, coroners, Crown Prosecution Service, families, government departments, hospitals, inquests, negligence, news, police by tracey

‘The government has apologised for a “20-year cover-up” over the death of 11-month-old Elizabeth Dixon, whose parents have fought an unrelenting battle for the truth.’

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The Guardian, 26th November 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Family who fear daughter was killed sue Leeds NHS trust after body decomposes – The Guardian

Posted November 23rd, 2020 in bereavement, coroners, damages, families, hospitals, inquests, negligence, news, unlawful killing by sally

‘The family of a woman who they suspect was killed is suing a health trust that allegedly stored her corpse incorrectly, allowing it to decompose to the point that experts were unable to rule out third-party involvement in her death, the Guardian can reveal.’

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The Guardian, 23rd November 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

More Likely Than Not: The Civil Standard of Proof Applies to All Short-Form and Narrative Conclusions at Inquests – Ropewalk Chambers

Posted November 19th, 2020 in coroners, inquests, news, standard of proof, suicide, Supreme Court, verdicts by sally

‘By a majority of three to two, the Supreme Court has held that the standard of proof for findings of suicide and unlawful killing at an inquest is the balance of probabilities: R (Maughan) v Her Majesty’s Senior Coroner for Oxfordshire [2020]
UKSC 46.’

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Ropewalk Chambers, 16th November 2020

Source: www.ropewalk.co.uk

Supreme Court lowers standard of proof for inquests – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted November 17th, 2020 in coroners, inquests, news, standard of proof, suicide, Supreme Court, verdicts by sally

‘The Supreme Court has today lowered the standard of proof for all conclusions in inquest proceedings, including unlawful killing and suicide, in a decision that could have wide-reaching implications for the recording of deaths in England and Wales.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 13th November 2020

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Case Comment: R (on the application of Maughan) v HM Senior Coroner for Oxfordshire [2020] UKSC 46 – UKSC Blog

Posted November 17th, 2020 in coroners, inquests, news, suicide, Supreme Court, verdicts by sally

‘The Supreme Court has given judgment in R (on the application of Maughan) v HM Senior Coroner for Oxfordshire [2020] UKSC 46, a case dealing with the applicable standard of proof for reaching a narrative verdict of suicide or unlawful killing. A detailed case preview by my colleague Tim James-Matthews is available here, as a useful starting point for the issues arising in the appeal. By a 3-2 majority (with Lady Arden giving the leading judgment), the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal, holding that the applicable standard of proof is the civil standard (i.e. the balance of probabilities). Lord Kerr gave the dissenting judgment, with which Lord Reed agreed: they would both have allowed the appeal.’

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UKSC Blog, 16th November 2020

Source: ukscblog.com

New Judgment: R (on the application of Maughan) v Her Majesty’s Senior Coroner for Oxfordshire [2020] UKSC 46 – UKSC Blog

Posted November 16th, 2020 in appeals, coroners, inquests, judicial review, Ministry of Justice, news, standard of proof, suicide, Supreme Court, unlawful killing by sally

‘By a majority the Supreme Court has dismissed this appeal concerning the standard of proof, or degree of conclusivity, required for the determination of the result of an inquest into a death where the question is whether the deceased committed suicide.’

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UKSC Blog, 13th November 2020

Source: ukscblog.com

Maughan: Suicide and Unlawful Killing Conclusions in Inquests – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted November 16th, 2020 in appeals, coroners, inquests, news, standard of proof, suicide, Supreme Court, unlawful killing by sally

‘The Supreme Court has now issued its judgment in this important case for Coroners and inquests dealing with the standard of proof to be applied where the death might have been caused by suicide or unlawful killing.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 13th November 2020

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

Coroner calls for investigation into toilet freshener’s effect on child’s death – The Guardian

Posted November 6th, 2020 in bereavement, causing death of children or vulnerable adults, children, coroners, families, health & safety, inquests, news by tracey

‘A coroner has called for further investigation into whether ingesting a toilet freshener led to the death of a two-year-old girl.’

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The Guardian, 5th November 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Overturning a coroner’s verdict – 5SAH

Posted October 28th, 2020 in appeals, bereavement, chambers articles, coroners, families, inquests, news by sally

‘Why is it so difficult to overturn a coroner’s verdict at inquest level? And are coroners entitled to reach the decisions they do with regards the scope of the inquest?’

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5SAH, 20th October 2020

Source: www.5sah.co.uk

Gaia Pope death: Family wants answers to ‘vital questions’ – BBC News

Posted September 16th, 2020 in bereavement, coroners, delay, evidence, families, inquests, mental health, news, police, rape, sexual offences by michael

‘The family of a teenager found dead 11 days after going missing nearly three years ago said “vital questions” about her death remain unanswered.’

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BBC News, 16th September 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk