Inquests Briefing – November 2020

There have been a number of recent developments of interest to those who practice in the coroners’ courts. As a result the 1 Chancery Lane Personal Injury and Clinical Negligence groups have joined forces to provide an update for your assistance.

Henk Soede considers the recent Supreme Court decision of R (on the application of Maughan) v Her Majesty’s Senior Coroner for Oxfordshire [2020] UKSC 46, which is required reading for all inquest practitioners, altering the burden of proof to be applied to the short form conclusions of suicide and unlawful killing.

David Thomson discusses the Chief Coroner’s Revised Guidance No 5 on Reports to Prevent Future Deaths, both identifying the changes and also providing a wide ranging explanation of the guidance in general.

Dominique Smith identifies the key points in the interesting costs decision of Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service v Veevers [2020] EWHC 2550 (Comm), which provides some welcome clarification about the recoverability of the costs of an inquest in subsequent civil proceedings.

Members of 1 Chancery Lane regularly act for both bereaved families and other interested persons and organisations in inquest proceedings. Members of Chambers are also currently instructed in the Manchester Arena Inquiry and the Grenfell Inquiry. We offer a wealth of experience in this area and are happy to assist with any of your queries or needs.

Read the Inquest Briefing in full here