Divisional Court gives guidance on article 2 inquests – UK Human Rights Law Blog
‘R (Peter Skelton and anr) v Senior Coroner for West Sussex [2020] EWHC 2813 (Adminn). Susan Nicholson and Caroline Devlin were killed by the same man during the course of abusive relationships. They died in 2011 and 2006, but the man was not convicted – of murder and manslaughter respectively – until 2017. The inquest into Susan’s death in 2011 resulted in a verdict of accidental death. Following the murder conviction, the Coroner applied to the High Court for this to be quashed, with the intention of holding a short inquest at which a fresh conclusion of “unlawful killing” would be recorded. However, the Claimants in this case – Susan’s parents – sought to expand the scope of the inquest to consider what they thought, understandably, were police failings. They were successful; this blog explains why, and examines the wider implications of the ruling.’
UK Human Rights Law Blog, 5th November 2020
Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com
