HM Senior Coroner Inner North London, Mary Hassell, has issued a draft protocol for the order in which deaths reported to her will be considered. The draft is in response to the judgment of the Divisional Court in R (Adath Yisroel Burial Society & Anor) v HM Senior Coroner for Inner North London [2018] EWHC 969 and the Chief Coroner’s Guidance No. 28: Report of death to the Coroner – decision making and expedited decisions.

The draft is part of a ten-stage consultation process that began with views from members of the public, both in writing and at a public meeting on 5 July 2018. The Senior Coroner listened carefully to those views, then produced a first draft of a new protocol. The draft protocol has subsequently been commented upon by the Chief Coroner for England & Wales and redrafted in the light of those comments.

The operative part of the draft protocol is as follows: Continue reading →