“The family of heroin addict Rachel Whitear yesterday vowed to continue to fight to find out how she died after an official report concluded that police botched the initial investigation into her death.”
The Guardian, 18th July 2008
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“New coroners’ powers to help prevent avoidable deaths were announced today (26 June) by Justice Minister Bridget Prentice in response to views expressed by bereaved families.”
Ministry of Justice, 26th June 2008
Source: www.justice.gov.uk
“Bridget Prentice has made a written ministerial statement on the statutory duty to report deaths to the coroner and the modernisation and consolidation of the cremation regulations.”
Ministry of Justice, 21st May 2008
Source: www.justice.gov.uk
“New proposals to give greater protection to victims and witnesses in court are among those set out in the Ministry of Justice’s contribution to the Draft Legislative Programme announced by the Prime Minister today.”
Ministry of Justice, 14th May 2008
Source: www.justice.gov.uk
Related link: Preparing Britain for the Future – the Draft Legislative Programme 2008-09 (PDF)
“Rarely a month goes by without a damning inquest verdict from Andrew Walker, highlighting failures by the Ministry of Defence.”
The Times, 12th April 2008
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
“The Government suffered its second important legal defeat in 24 hours today when a High Court judge rejected an attempt by Des Browne, the Defence Secretary, to ban coroners using phrases such as “serious failure” in their verdicts on dead soldiers.”
The Times, 11th April 2008
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
“Justice Minister Bridget Prentice has said that the government remains committed to reforming the coroners system, placing the bereaved firmly at the centre of the process.”
Ministry of Justice, 27th March 2008
Source: www.justice.gov.uk
“Defence Secretary Des Browne yesterday asked the High Court to outlaw the use of language strongly critical of the MoD in inquest verdicts on soldiers who have died on active service.”
The Independent, 18th March 2008
Source: www.independent.co.uk
“Coroners are blocking government plans to test tens of thousands of bodies undergoing postmortem examinations each year for signs of variant CJD, the human form of BSE. Their involvement is essential for a research programme, backed by ministers, senior scientific advisers and an independent ethical committee, to establish the long-term public health threat from the incurable disease. Although only 166 people have so far died from vCJD in Britain, scientists are seeking to find out whether many more are unwittingly carrying the long-incubating condition, posing significant risk to others through surgery and blood transfusion.”
The Guardian, 11th February 2008
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“Despite all the flak the coroner chairing the inquest of the late Princess of Wales and Dodi Fayed is making the best of a difficult job.”
The Times, 17th January 2008
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
“The bodies of children who die suddenly are being illegally transported hundreds of miles to have a postmortem examination because there are only 40 qualified paediatric pathologists, it is revealed today. The practice breaches the Coroner’s Rules, which make it illegal to move a body beyond an adjoining district to the one in which the death occurred.”
The Guardian, 4th January 2008
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“A judge has launched an extraordinary attack on the laws governing the inquest into the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, describing them as ‘antiquated rubbish’.”
Daily Telegraph, 17th November 2007
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
“Bereaved relatives of fallen troops are dismayed that an expected Coroners Bill was left out of the Queen’s Speech.”
The Times, 7th November 2007
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Whether jury can be trusted
“While facts were for the jury, coroners were entitled to consider whether it was safe to leave a particular verdict on the evidence to the jury.”
The Times, 13th August 2007
Please note the Times Law Reports are only available free on Times Online for 21 days from the date of publication.
“Ministers bowed to pressure yesterday and promised to provide extra funding for hard-pressed coroners’ courts holding inquests into military deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan.”
The Times, 13th July 2007
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
“The coroner for Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed’s inquests has said he will not involve the Queen or the Duke of Edinburgh in the case at this stage.”
BBC News, 9th July 2007
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
R (Pereira) v. HM Coroner for Inner South London and others
“A coroner’s power to adjourn an inquest under s 16(1)(b) of the Coroner’s Act 1988 was discretionary. Where a reason not to adjourn had been established, a decision to do so made in the exercise of that discretion could not be impugned by way of judicial review provided that the decision had been made rationally, taking into account all relevant matters and in the light of the state’s duty to investigate a death under art 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights.”
WLR Daily, 14th June 2007
Source: www.lawreports.co.uk
“The new coroner for the inquest into the death of Diana, Princess of Wales yesterday pledged an “open, fair and transparent” inquiry – then immediately attempted to gag the press.”
Daily Telegraph, 14th June 2007
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
“A preliminary hearing is due to be held to prepare the way for a full inquest into the deaths of Princess Diana and Dodi Al Fayed.”
BBC News, 13th June 2007
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
“The new coroner for the inquests into the deaths of Princess Diana and Dodi Al Fayed has been formally appointed.”
BBC News, 11th June 2007
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
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