Inquests

It seems to be not widely recognised that an interested person, which would include a member or members of the immediate family, has the right to participate in inquest proceedings.

An inquest is a judicial inquiry to determine the cause of a person’s death.

Inquests are usually conducted where deaths are sudden or unexplained. This would include where the cause of death is unknown, where a person has died an unnatural or violent death or where there is a legal requirement for an inquest (e.g. death in prison custody).

The rights of the interested person include:

• To be notified by the coroner of the key findings of any post mortem
• To be provided with relevant documents
• To object to the use of written evidence
• To question witnesses at the inquest hearing

It is quite understandable that, at a time of great sadness, it will very difficult for members of the family to turn their minds to the question of the inquest. However wherever possible it is best to take early advice on this in order that issues may be addressed as soon as possible – this may be important, for example, from the perspective of any post-mortem/autopsy.

Quite often the evidence at, or the findings in, an inquest will be of importance in the context of any civil claim for damages arising from the death. This is particularly so where members of the family will have suffered a loss of financial or other dependency.

BTMK Injury can help with representation in inquests. We aim to offer a sympathetic, constructive and proportionate approach and will advise if we do not consider that representation is necessary. Where it is we will discuss how representation can be funded to ensure that there is absolute clarity on this. If in any doubt as to your position please contact us – we do not charge a fee for the initial consultation/meeting.

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