Attending a Coroner’s inquest

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing measures, it will now be normal for our resumed inquest hearings and pre-inquest review hearings to be conducted over Microsoft Teams. The Coroner will sit in open court, and witnesses, interested persons and legal representatives attend via internet or telephone link.

The court room remains open for members of the public or media who wish to observe; alternatively a telephone number can be requested to enable the public and media to listen to the hearing. In court strict social distancing measures will be observed, which will reduce the capacity of the courtroom.

For the avoidance of doubt, the press and public are not permitted to take any part in the hearing whether present in court or listening over the telephone.

More information for witnesses, interested persons and legal representatives can be found in the documents below.

• Microsoft Teams - user guide
• Protocol for remote hearings
• Remote hearings - quick reference guide
• Remote hearings - welcome slide

The Coroner decides what order witnesses will give their evidence in. The Coroner’s Officer will be able to tell you the order that witnesses will be called; any family members will usually be asked to give evidence first.

Once the Coroner’s heard all the evidence, any lawyers acting for interested parties (usually the deceased's immediate family and those involved in the death) can make any further, legal points that are relevant to the Coroner's decision.

At the end of the inquest the Coroner will give a summary of the evidence they’ve heard and state their findings (conclusions).

Following an inquest the Coroner will send the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages a certificate, so that they can register the death and produce a death certificate.

You can read more information about Coroner Services and Coroner Investigations on the Gov.uk website.