About Inquests

An Inquest is a public judicial inquiry to determine: who the deceased was, when they died, where they died, the medical cause of their death and how they came by their death.  Usually it is the 'how' question that will be the focus of the Coroner’s inquiries.  

At the end of the Inquest the Coroner will also confirm the particulars required to register the death and record a conclusion regarding how they came to die.

Why is an Inquest required ?

By law, a Coroner who has conducted an investigation into a death must go on to hold an Inquest 

• If there is reasonable cause to suspect that the death was violent or unnatural;
• Where the deceased was in the custody of the State; or
• If the cause of death is not known, even after a post-mortem.

An Inquest seeks to establish the cause of someone's death and how it came about, but a Coroner cannot determine any issues of criminal or civil liability for a death. Those issues can only be addressed in other courts, if necessary.  Complaints about the deceased’s care where the issue was not causative of the death should be addressed to the organisation concerned. 

Timing of an Inquest

Every effort is made to hear the Inquest within six months of a death.  Sometimes the process may take longer if a lot of evidence needs to be obtained or the case is especially complex. An Inquest may take longer if another investigation into the circumstances of the death is running concurrently (such as a police inquiry or an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive).  Your Coroner’s Officer will be able to keep you updated about the progress of a case. 

The current court diary can be seen here. which shows any planned inquest hearings and a list of any inquests that are proposed to be held in writing.

• Opening an Inquest

  The Coroner must open an Inquest as soon as possible after a relevant death. The ‘opening’ is a very brief public hearing in the Coroners Court. The Inquest will usually then be adjourned to a later date to allow time for further investigation and information gathering...

• Types of Inquest

  Inquests can be held in a number of different ways depending upon the nature and complexity of the evidence that needs to be considered by the Coroner. The Coroner usually will conduct Inquest hearings in public in a courtroom, with any witnesses giving oral evidence under oath...

• Pre-Inquest Review hearings

  In some cases an administrative or ‘housekeeping’ hearing will be held some weeks before an Inquest to ensure all procedural matters have been dealt with before the substantive inquest hearing begins. This is known as a ‘Pre-Inquest Review’ Hearing or PIR...

• Interested persons

  Who is an ‘Interested Person’? An ‘Interested Person’ in respect of death is a legal term and is defined by law under s.47(2) Coroner and Justice Act 2009...

• At the Inquest hearing

  Every inquest is different, as its length, type and the issues to be explored will all depend on the unique circumstacnes of the death. However some general information about the inquest hearing is set out below. Who will be in Court? Inquests are held in a publicly open court...

• Family members as witnesses

  At most inquests, the Coroner will invite a member of the bereaved family to present a ‘pen portrait’ telling the Coroner something concerning the life of the person at the heart of the inquest. Not all families will want to do this...

• After the Inquest

  Registering a death after an inquest When an inquest has been concluded our court staff will register the death using information obtained at the Inquest, so the bereaved do not need to attend the Registrars’ Office...