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Inquests
An inquest is a judicial process and a Coroner’s Court is a court of law. The purpose of an inquest is to establish who the deceased person was and when, where and how they died. An inquest is generally concerned with fact finding and is not a trial or fault finding process. In certain circumstances however, where a state organisation may have had responsibility for the person who has died, then the scope of the inquest will be wider and the hearing more comprehensive. The inquest will look at the circumstances in which the death occurred, as well as how the person died.
Remote attendance for members of the press or public
On 28 June 2022 section 85A of the Courts Act 2003, and the Remote Observation and Recording (Courts and Tribunals) Regulations 2022 came into effect, making it lawful to allow remote observation of inquests under specific circumstances. With prior approval, remote access is permissible via telephone or video link.
All remote access to Norfolk Coroner’s Court must be approved in advance by the Coroner.
To request remote attendance at court please email coroner@norfolk.gov.uk by 2pm on the working day before the hearing, stating the hearing you would like to attend, your reasons for wishing to attend remotely and whether you would like to attend by telephone or video. Applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis and may be refused.
It is illegal to record any judicial proceedings heard in open court without permission of the Coroner, and to do so is a contempt of court under the Contempt of Court Act 1981.
More about inquests
Usually the enquiries into the death can be completed within eight weeks.
The inquest is then held within a further four weeks. However some cases can take longer.
The vast majority of inquests are held within six months of the death.
The Coroner’s Court, County Hall, Martineau Lane, Norwich, NR1 2DH - Location of the Coroner's Court on Google maps
You are only obliged to attend an inquest if you have received a witness summons to attend.
It is an offence to disregard the summons.
The Coroner’s Officer will be there to help and the Coroners’ Courts Support Service also provide support to those that attend as either witnesses, family, or friends. These are volunteers who have received training in court, inquest and bereavement procedure and are on hand, before, during and after the inquest. Their role is to give practical and procedural support at the inquest and to offer emotional support to those who find the process difficult and upsetting. The benefit of a friendly and welcoming face, and someone who can listen to any concerns the witness or family member has, is appreciated by many people attending an inquest.
The Coroner's Court Support Service also offer a helpline to answer questions or concerns about attending a coroner’s court.
The Coroner’s Chaplain, Rev Chris Copsey is also available to support you and attends inquests when requested to offer support to families and witnesses. The Chaplain is available for practical and emotional support during or before an inquest for families or witnesses who would like extra reassurance. The Chaplain is there to support everyone, regardless of their faith or if they have no faith. Offering both comfort and guidance, the Chaplain can give practical advice or spiritual support to whoever wants and needs it.
Losing someone during these difficult times will be deeply upsetting, and Chris has offered her support if you would like it, either now or in the future. Whilst acknowledging the work done by many in comforting families in hospitals, care homes and arranging limited funerals it is very different during the pandemic. Recognising that, extra support may be helpful and can be offered by the Coroner's Chaplain.
You can contact her through the Coroner's Office. Contact the office.
The Coroner will introduce the inquest explaining who everyone is and what will be happening.
The Coroner will call and question the relevant witnesses who have to give evidence either by swearing an oath or making a declaration.
Family members and other ‘properly interested persons’ can ask questions of the witnesses after the coroner has done so.
The Coroner will read any statements.
The Coroner will summarise the evidence and then pronounce the conclusion, or where there is a jury, give them directions as to the range of conclusions which they can consider.
A jury will only be required in certain circumstances, in particular when the death occurs in prison or police custody or results from an accident at work.
The procedure of a jury inquest is somewhat different, however the function and purpose remains the same.
The Coroner will explain at the start of the inquest everything that is expected of the jury in dealing with the case.
You will be able to claim allowances at prescribed rates for travelling, subsistence and for financial loss (such as loss of earnings) if you are called to serve on a jury.
The Coroner decides who should be called as witnesses to the inquest.
You will be told of the witnesses who are to attend and if you want to suggest the Coroner should call someone then you can ask the Coroner to consider calling them but the final decision will rest with the Coroner.
The Coroner can issue a formal notice requiring a witness to attend and to produce any relevant document to the inquest. If the person fails to attend then the Coroner may consider issuing a warrant enforcing their attendance.
The Coroner may decide to read written evidence at the inquest if it is not possible for the witness to give evidence at the inquest within a reasonable time, if there is a good reason why they should not attend or it is believed they will not attend the inquest or the evidence is unlikely to be disputed.
The Coroner will ask for the views of the bereaved family and any interested persons before making a decision in this respect.
In these circumstances the Coroner will adjourn the inquest until after the criminal court proceedings have been concluded. It may then be unnecessary to reopen the inquest.
It is sometimes possible to challenge the verdict of the inquest by way of an application to the High Court for a judicial review.
You should take legal advice about such a course of action as soon as possible after the Coroner has made a decision.
At the conclusion of an inquest the Coroner may decide, in certain limited circumstances, that action may need to be taken to prevent or reduce the possibility of further fatalities and send a report to any authority with power to take such action.
Anybody who receives such a report must provide a response and copies of the report and response will be sent to the immediate family members and other ‘properly interested persons’.
Inquests have to be held in public and the media are entitled to attend.
The media may report on any information presented at the inquest, however those working for newspapers or magazines must abide by the Editors' Code of Practice, upheld by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO).
They may wish to interview the family following an inquest but it is entirely up to the family if they wish to do so.