I will take over inquests 'very occasionally,' chief coroner warns

The new chief coroner, Judge Peter Thornton QC, has warned that he will use his powers to step in and take over inquests “very occasionally”.

In his first speech in the post, at the Coroners’ Society of England and Wales, Judge Thornton said he had the power to take over an investigation at any stage.

“I do not intend to do that frequently, only very occasionally,” he said.

“And I would prefer to do it by consent. Any senior coroner should feel free to ask - there is no stigma in doing so - for assistance from the chief coroner where appropriate.”

Judge Thornton said he was considering developing a number of “specially-trained coroner groups”, taking advantage of the greater flexibility in the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 over coroner areas.

“The groups could include a cadre of specially-trained service death coroners who, if necessary, would travel to the area of the next of kin to investigate and hold the inquest,” Judge Thornton said.

“I shall consult, as I have already begun to, with, amongst others, the Ministry of Defence through the Defence Inquests Unit, the Royal British Legion and other service organizations and experienced coroners and local authorities who have worked in this field.

“Great value is placed upon expertise in this area. It is expected, and rightly expected, that bereaved families of military personnel who die on active service for their country should be afforded the greatest consideration in the investigation into every single death.

“I have a special duty under the Act to monitor investigations into service deaths and to ensure that coroners conducting such investigations are suitably trained for the purpose. I intend to carry out that duty to the full.”

Judge Thornton said another group of coroners could be those specialising in “deaths in custody or even particular types of deaths in custody such as asphyxia from restraint”.

The chief coroner added that he would also review the procedures for inquests involving mass fatalities, such as the London bombings in 2005. He said the findings of the Hillsborough Independent Panel required “careful scrutiny”.