This blog reviews the “Galbraith Plus” direction in light of the recent decision in R (Police Officer B50) v HM Coroner for East Yorkshire and Kingston Upon Hull [2023] EWHC 81 (Admin) (judgment here). In the case of B50, the Divisional Court considered whether it was safe to leave the conclusion of unlawful killing to an inquest jury. In still deciding the…
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Inquests Blog
16 Jan 2023
In a case believed to be the first of its kind, a South Wales coroner has ruled that a death from COVID-19 constitutes death from an industrial disease. The inquest, listed before the Senior Coroner for South Wales Central, and enquiring into the deaths of two nurses, Gareth Roberts and Domingo David, each of whom died…
22 Apr 2021
In December 2020, HM Assistant Coroner for Inner South London, Philip Barlow, concluded that air pollution contributed to nine-year-old Ella Adoo Kissi-Debrah’s death in 2013. Thomas Herbert’s blog on that decision can be read here. The Assistant Coroner has now issued a Prevention of Future Deaths report dated 20 April 2021, which can be read…
Drawing on its market-leading reputation in personal injury, industrial disease and clinical negligence litigation, Ropewalk Chambers routinely acts for all interested persons – most commonly bereaved families, local authorities, insurers, government departments and care homes, amongst others – at inquests arising in a range of contexts including as workplace accidents, healthcare, custody, homicide and road traffic accidents.
Our depth of experience allows us to meet all levels of requirement. Several members of chambers sit as Assistant Coroners and our barristers also have experience acting as counsel to the inquest in complex matters or, as treasury counsel, representing government departments in sensitive cases. Our multi-disciplinary approach means that any future civil, criminal regulatory or disciplinary proceedings are considered at the outset and our approach at inquest is tailored to securing the best possible long-term outcomes for our clients.
To find out more about our Inquests team, please click here.
Recent Posts
15 Mar 2021
Inquests can be destabilising for advocates. Although there are similarities with other work – they take place in a Court (albeit sometimes at unconventional locations), they are presided over by a judicial figure, witnesses appear and are questioned and juries are sometimes empanelled – the process is not, or at least is not supposed to…
13 Nov 2020
By a majority of three to two, the Supreme Court has held that the standard of proof for findings of suicide and unlawful killing at an inquest is the balance of probabilities: R (Maughan) v Her Majesty’s Senior Coroner for Oxfordshire [2020] UKSC 46. This is contrary to the general understanding prior to this case…
21 Oct 2020
Last week HM Senior Coroner John Gittins found that the death of former international footballer, Alan Jarvis, was caused by his participation in professional sport. During the 1960s and 1970s, Mr Jarvis played for Everton, Hull City and Mansfield Town, as well as securing international caps for Wales. He died in 2019 from Alzheimer’s disease,…
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21 April 2020Read more
It is well-known that, in principle, the costs of an inquest are recoverable in a subsequent clinical negligence claim. The leading case in this regard, also well-known, is Roach v Home Office [2010] QB 256. Every case, though, will turn on its own facts (there had been no pre-inquest admission of liability in Roach, for example). Moreover, in…