Call to publish 1979 death report – BBC News
“A campaign group has called on the Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson to publish a report into the death of a protester in 1979.”
BBC News, 14th June 2009
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Category: inquests
Menezes officer ‘did not deceive’ – BBC News
“A police officer who admitted altering his notes about the death of Jean Charles de Menezes has been cleared following an inquiry.”
BBC News, 26th May 2009
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Coroners Bill: now the battle begins for legal aid and juries – The Times
“With Jack Straw’s dropping of plans this week for secret inquests, one of the big battles in the Coroners and Justice Bill has been fought and won. But the Justice Secretary’s move does not guarantee the Bill a trouble-free ride.”
The Times, 21st May 2009
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
R (Smith) v Oxfordshire Assistant Deputy Coroner (Equality and Human Rights Commission intervening) – WLR Daily
“A British soldier on military service in Iraq was subject to the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom within the meaning of art 1 of the Human Rights Convention and as such benefited from the rights guaranteed by the Human Rights Act 1998. An inquest held into the soldier’s death was to be an enhanced inquest conforming to the procedural requirements of the right to life in art 2 of the Convention.”
WLR Daily, 19th May 2009
Source: www.lawreports.co.uk
Please note: once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.
Statement on amendments to the Coroners and Justice Bill – Ministry of Justice
“Jack Straw has made a written ministerial statement concerning amendments to the Coroners and Justice Bill.”
Ministry of Justice, 15th May 2009
Source: www.justice.gov.uk
Barristers Urge Peers to Strengthen Support for Bereaved Families in Coroners and Justice Bill – The Bar Council
“Bereaved families should have access to legal representation at inquests, the Bar Council and the Criminal Bar Association have told the House of Lords.”
The Bar Council, 18th May 2009
Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk
Minister rejects calls for Deepcut deaths inquiry – The Guardian
“The armed forces minister, Bob Ainsworth, rejected calls for a public inquiry into the deaths of four army recruits at the Deepcut barracks today after the publication of official investigations into two of the deaths.”
The Guardian, 14th May 2009
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
New evidence over Deepcut deaths, says family – The Guardian
“An official investigation into the death of an army recruit at the infamous Deepcut barracks contains new evidence that should be put before a coroner’s court or an independent inquiry, the father of the young soldier said today.”
The Guardian, 12th May 2009
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
R (O’Connor) v HM Coroner for the District of Avon (Visser intervening) – WLR Daily
“The test for a verdict of unlawful killing was not exclusively objective, it being necessary to find at least the mental element necessary for a criminal conviction of assault; and insanity, if properly raised on the evidence, had to be disproved to the criminal standard to sustain such a verdict.”
WLR Daily, 8th May 2009
Source: www.lawreports.co.uk
Please note once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.
Ruling quashed on balcony death father – The Independent
“An inquest ruling that a man unlawfully killed his six-year-old son by throwing him off a hotel balcony when a holiday trip to Crete to salvage his marriage went disastrously wrong was quashed by the High Court today.”
The Independent, 7th May 2009
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Inquests into the deaths of service personnel in operations and exercises overseas – Ministry of Justice
“Justice Minister Bridget Prentice has made a written ministerial statement about the deaths of servicemen and women overseas.”
Ministry of Justice, 5th May 2009
Source: www.justice.gov.uk
Jews and Muslims succeed in bid to avoid post-mortems – The Independent
“Bereaved families will be allowed to pay for pathologists to perform body scans on their loved ones to establish cause of death if they object to post-mortems for religious reasons, the Government announced yesterday.”
The Independent, 22nd April 2009
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Third postmortem to be carried out on Ian Tomlinson – The Guardian
“A third postmortem examination is to be carried out tomorrow on the body of Ian Tomlinson, the newspaper seller who died shortly after a police officer hit him from behind during the G20 protests on 1 April.”
The Guardian, 21st April 2008
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Verdict on prison death quashed – BBC News
“A fresh inquest has been ordered into the death of a prison inmate who was found hanged in his cell.”
BBC News, 3rd April 2009
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
MPs back holding private inquests – BBC News
“MPs have backed government plans to hold inquests in private and without a jury in some sensitive cases, such as those involving national security.”
BBC News, 24th March 2009
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Searching for answers at Deepcut Barracks – The Times
“Four young soldiers died at Deepcut Barracks between 1995 and 2002: Sean Benton on June 9, 1995, Cheryl James on November 27, 1995, Geoff Gray on September 17, 2001, and James Collinson on March 23, 2002.”
The Times, 19th March 2009
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Government strengthens plans for non-jury inquests – Ministry of Justice
“Strengthened proposals for non-jury inquests that allow for more judicial involvement and discretion were announced today by the government.”
Ministry of Justice, 18th March 2008
Source: www.justice.gov.uk
Final say for judges on private inquests – The Times
“A plan that would allow some sensitive inquests to be held in private is to be watered down after strong opposition from MPs, lawyers and civil libertarians.”
The Times, 18th March 2009
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Menezes coroner calls for review – BBC News
“The coroner who presided over the Jean Charles de Menezes inquest has called for police practices to be reviewed, saying ‘systematic failures’ occurred.”
BBC News. 4th March 2009
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Gassed children unlawfully killed – BBC News
“A father killed himself and his two young children after splitting from their mother, an inquest has heard.”
BBC News, 20th February 2009
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
