Author: Bridget Dolan QC

The Centre for Contemporary Coronial Law – International Conference On Wednesday, 11th June 2025 the Centre for Contemporary Coronial Law  conference will have three international speakers on Assisted Dying, from Canada, Holland and Victoria in Australia. Professor Udo Schuklenk (Queen’s University, Canada) Nicola Farray (Department of Health & Human Services, Victoria, Australia) Dr Cécile Woudenberg-van […]

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Morrow v HM Assistant Coroner for Merseyside [2025] EWHC 935 (Admin) 15 April 2025 judgment here What the bereaved hope might be investigated at an inquest and what the inquest actually explores are often very different things.    In this recent case the Assistant Coroner’s decision to draw a very tight investigatory scope was upheld by the […]

Read More… from A narrow inquest scope is fine, but give the bereaved an explanation

R (Robinson) v. HM Assistant Coroner Blackpool & Fylde [2025] EWHC 781 (Admin), 3 April 2025 (judgment here) The ever the developing jurisprudence of Article 2 means that the categories of cases that can engage Art.2 obligations is not closed. However, in this recent decision Kerr J has firmly slammed the door in the face […]

Read More… from Misadventure in police custody does not automatically engage Article 2

O’Brien v HM Assistant Coroner for Sefton, Knowsley and St Helens [2025] EWHC 362 (Admin) (heard in September 2024) the recently un-embargoed judgment is here The Court of Appeal made the point resoundingly clear in Morahan[1] that “an inquest remains an inquisitorial and relatively summary process”.   As this latest case illustrates a Coroner may well […]

Read More… from ‘Coronial Causation’ and avoiding speculation when setting the Scope of an inquest

R (Gamesys Operations Ltd) v HM Senior Coroner Inner London South [2025] EWHC 659 (Admin) judgment here The title of this blog will surprise no one, as it is already well established that a coroner has a very wide discretion regarding what evidence to call, including in respect of whether to seek expert evidence and […]

Read More… from Calling expert evidence is a matter for the Coroner’s discretion