Contents Introduction Latest News - Inquest

Issue 19 – January-February 2013

Contents         

Latest News Casework Significant cases and inquests Deaths in custody – latest statistics Meetings and events Fundraising Staff and volunteers Spreading the word Latest publications

Introduction Welcome to INQUEST’s first e-newsletter of 2013! Already there is plenty to tell you about, as we continue to lobby and campaign for better investigations of deaths in custody and improvements in the justice system and the treatment of detainees. We have also included a selection of upcoming events you may be interested in, and details about some of the fantastic fundraising work our supporters have been doing for INQUEST. Funding our work remains a huge challenge and we have a significant target to reach in the next financial year. Alongside the confidence shown in our work by our grant funders, your ongoing individual support and generosity is needed more than ever. Please take a look at what people have been doing to raise money for us and see if you’d like to do something similar. And of course, please continue to generously support us as much as you can. We can assure you that your donation will go straight to helping bereaved families. Thank you, All at INQUEST

Latest News IPCC review of article 2 cases We submitted a detailed response to the Independent Police Complaints Commission’s Review of work in cases involving a death was in January. Since the IPCC was established in 2004 we have worked alongside bereaved families and their lawyers on more than 180 cases involving deaths in police custody or following contact with the police. INQUEST’s detailed response draws on our analysis of this experience that enables us © INQUEST 2011 Registered Charity no 1046650 ¦ Registered Company no 03054853

page 1 of 16

Issue 19 – February 2013 to identify systemic and policy issues arising from deaths and the way they are investigated. The full submission will be published on the INQUEST website shortly, and we are grateful to all families whose experiences we highlighted in the report. As part of the review, the Chair of the IPCC Dame Anne Owers asked INQUEST to organise two family events in March where she can meet a small group of families and hear their experiences first hand. Our thanks to all the families who have already agreed to take part. INQUEST welcomes Home Affairs Committee report on IPCC The report of the parliamentary Home Affairs Committee was published on 1 February. INQUEST gave both written and oral evidence to their Inquiry, the latter alongside Marcia Rigg, Sean Rigg’s sister. INQUEST welcomed the report, which reflected many of the concerns we raised in our written and oral and those of bereaved families and their lawyers. It attracted widespread media coverage with Deborah Coles interviewed on Sky News and Marcia Rigg appearing on several radio reports. The devastating consequences of treating 17 year olds in police custody as adults In February, in a judicial review heard by the High Court, the charity Just for Kids Law challenged a legal anomaly which treats 17 year olds in police custody as adults rather than children. Two recent self-inflicted deaths of children following police contact have illustrated the consequences of this policy. INQUEST, together with Just for Kids Law, made written submissions to the coroner conducting the inquest into one of those deaths, that of 17 year old Edward Thornber. Having heard the evidence, the coroner wrote to the Association of Chief Police Officers to ask them to review the practice. More information is available on our website. INQUEST is closely following the outcome of the judicial review, and will continue to press for reform of this flaw in the system. Justice Committee Inquiry into Women Offenders INQUEST has submitted written evidence to the Justice Committee Inquiry into women offenders. The inquiry was prompted by the five year anniversary of the Corston report last year, which was carried out following a series of deaths of women in prison and made a wide range of far-reaching recommendations relating to women in the justice system. The inquiry is due to publish its report after Easter. INQUEST will be publishing a briefing on the deaths of women in prison later this year.

© INQUEST 2011 Registered Charity no 1046650 ¦ Registered Company no 03054853

page 2 of 16

Issue 19 – February 2013 INQUEST supports judicial review of use of restraint during immigration removal A judicial review hearing challenging the lawfulness of the UK Border Agency’s policy on the use of force in relation to immigration detainees took place in February. The human rights organisation Liberty challenged the lawfulness of the UK Border Agency’s policy on restraint and its failure to fully disclose it. INQUEST provided a witness statement in support of Liberty’s case. We are working with Jimmy Mubenga’s family and legal team as they prepare for the inquest into his death later this year. In our witness statement, we reference previous deaths in other custodial settings which involved the use of restraint (including those of children in secure training centres) and describe the dangers involved in keeping practices secret, such as a lack of scrutiny by medical experts. Members of INQUEST’s staff team attended the hearing. Judgment has yet to be handed down. ‘Deaths in police custody have got to stop’ – Families speak out on Today Progamme special report into mental health deaths in police custody Our patron, Benjamin Zephaniah, was a guest editor for the final Today Programme on BBC Radio 4 of 2012. The New Year’s Eve programme was entirely edited by him and featured a primetime piece on the deaths of people with mental health issues in police custody. Benjamin’s cousin Mikey Powell died in Birmingham in 2003 following arrest and restraint by police whilst experiencing a mental health ‘episode’. INQUEST arranged for the families to be interviewed for the report. Mikey’s cousin Tippa Naphtali, now a formidable campaigner on deaths in custody and leading member of the United Families and Friends Campaign, spoke movingly about what happened to his cousin. Tony Herbert, father of James Herbert who died following police restraint in 2010, gave powerful testimony as did Ajibola Lewis, mother of Olaseni Lewis who also died in 2010 following police restraint in a mental health hospital. Deborah Coles spoke about the broad issues and the need for an urgent national review of policing, mental health and restraint. The programme is available to listen again here. Mark Duggan inquest delay The inquest into the police shooting death of Mark Duggan in 2011, scheduled to start on 28 January 2013, has been delayed, with a new date yet to be set. The main reason for the delay is due to the existence of sensitive material, which as in the case of Azelle Rodney cannot be heard in open court. It can, however, be considered by a high court judge, and His © INQUEST 2011 Registered Charity no 1046650 ¦ Registered Company no 03054853

page 3 of 16

Issue 19 – February 2013 Honour Judge Keith Cutler has been appointed as deputy coroner for the case. INQUEST expressed our frustration at the delay, pointing out that everyone involved in the case has been aware of the issues around sensitive material for some time. It has now been over a year and a half since Mark’s death, with his family enduring a painful wait for answers about how he died that day. INQUEST is continuing to support the family and push for changes to the legislation to be passed urgently. INQUEST urges government to think again on planned reforms to Judicial Review INQUEST submitted a detailed response in January to the government’s consultation on planned changes to the judicial review process. Judicial Review can be the only mechanism by which families are able to challenge coroners’ decisions in inquests. It is therefore an essential means to ensure justice is upheld and authorities and institutions held to account. INQUEST is concerned that the proposed changes will make it more difficult for families to judicially review decisions made by coroners, and without an appeals process this leaves them little avenue of redress. Azelle Rodney inquiry ends The oral hearings for the inquiry into the police shooting of Azelle Rodney in 2005 concluded in December with closing speeches on the 10th. The inquiry, which opened in September, took the place of an inquest following concerns over sensitive material that could not be heard in open court, thereby making an inquest impossible. Azelle Rodney’s family, who have been supported by INQUEST since Azelle Rodney’s death, now awaits the final report from the inquiry chair, due to be published later in the Spring. World Human Rights day As part of World Human Rights Day on 10 December 2012, INQUEST joined 71 other organisations and charities calling on the government to secure and uphold the Human Rights Act. The move came following a defeat in the House of Commons of a motion calling for the Act to be repealed. The call took the form of an open letter to Prime Minister David Cameron and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg MP.

Casework Our casework team continued to deal with wide ranging enquiries from across England and Wales. From 1 November – 31 December 2012, we opened 59 new cases. Of these 18 were custody cases which included 1 death in immigration detention, 1 death in police custody or following police contact, 11 in prison and 5 in psychiatric detention. © INQUEST 2011 Registered Charity no 1046650 ¦ Registered Company no 03054853

page 4 of 16

Issue 19 – February 2013 The remaining 41 cases were opened in relation to non-custody deaths and included 4 deaths in community psychiatric settings. From 1 January – 28 February we opened 78 new cases. Of these 34 were custody cases which included 1 death in immigration detention, 6 deaths in police custody or following police contact, 21 in prison and 6 in psychiatric detention. The remaining 44 cases were opened in relation to non-custody deaths and included 5 deaths in community psychiatric settings. There continued to be a worrying number of self inflicted deaths in prisons including 4 deaths of young people under the age of 24. There were two self inflicted deaths in HMP Altcourse within a few days of each other. We have now been contacted by one of the families. The first self inflicted death of a woman in prison since April 2011 has also coincided with this period. 51 year old Trudie Wragg was found unresponsive in her cell on 10 December 2012. We are now in contact with her family and working with the legal team. Methadone management within a prison setting also continues to be a central issue in a number of prison deaths on which we are currently working. The same issues appear to arise highlighting a need for information sharing across the custodial settings regarding learning lessons. In this period there have been a further two deaths at Harmondsworth IRC, an Immigration detention centre run by private contractors. The recent death of an 84 year old man has raised significant concerns around the reasons for detention of such an elderly and vulnerable man. One of the main difficulties around investigating the cause and failures leading to a death in immigration settings, is locating and contacting family members. There have been times when the family are not represented at all risking a limited investigation. INQUEST continues to be concerned about the policing of people with mental health issues. Too many of these raise concerns about the use of force and a lack of training and understanding of how to engage with a person in the midst of a mental health crisis is a recurring issue. We are concerned at the lack of national learning arising from these deaths. Despite the Rabone ruling last year, which ruled that the death of a young woman who was a voluntary patient should be investigated in the same way as if she had been detained, INQUEST has seen an inconsistent approach to psychiatric deaths, with many families experiencing problems in securing enhanced Article 2 inquests. Whilst families represented by experienced legal teams secure hearings of appropriate periods (one week plus) in front of juries, unrepresented families continue to struggle for hearings in front of juries listed for periods sufficient to hear and address all relevant evidence and issues. © INQUEST 2011 Registered Charity no 1046650 ¦ Registered Company no 03054853

page 5 of 16

Issue 19 – February 2013

We have also seen forced adjournment/ postponement of inquest hearings due to late disclosure of evidence. This has arisen in several recent cases including Dale Proverbs, Andrew Hall and Robert Proctor. These adjournments are costly in resources and cause appalling additional stress and difficulty for families.

Significant cases and inquests The INQUEST casework team are working with the families of all the following individuals and their legal teams, supporting them throughout the inquest process. Chang Somers The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is investigating how police dealt with Chang Somers in the weeks leading up to his death. Chang Somers, 36, also known as Valan Pitts, went missing last July. His body was found in Devon, on 22 August. He had mental health issues and was highly vulnerable but despite his and his family’s attempt to seek help no help was provided. Several police officers have now been served with notices of investigation and they are being interviewed under caution. A race relations expert has been consulted by the IPCC in relation to this case. The IPCC Commissioner has also initiated a Serious Case Review to examine the way local professionals and agencies are working together to safeguard vulnerable adults. Leonard McCourt An inquest jury returned a damning verdict following the death of Leonard McCourt in a police van in 2010. Mr McCourt was pepper sprayed and arrested following an incident at his home. The IPCC report into his death found the police had made a ‘catalogue of errors’, failing to adequately help Mr McCourt as he lay dying in front of them. It was announced the four officers involved would face misconduct proceedings, but by the time the disciplinary hearing was held in February, three of the officers had left the force. The fourth was found guilty of gross misconduct but, against all expectations, was allowed to keep his job. In what is becoming a concerning pattern the same thing happened in the case of Lloyd Butler (see below). Lloyd Butler Two police officers including the custody sergeant will keep their jobs despite being found guilty of gross misconduct. Lloyd Butler, 39, died in custody in 2010 after being arrested when his family called the police because concerns about his behaviour while drunk.


page 6 of 16

Issue 19 – February 2013 Billy Spiller and Nicholas Wheller The inquests into the deaths of both Billy Spiller and Nicholas Wheller in Aylesbury YOI will be heard one after the other later this year. There appear to be similar issues around the ACCT procedures (for at risk prisoners) and the treatment of highly vulnerable young men in this institution. The casework team is working closely with the legal teams on both these cases to identify common features. Amy El-Keria The casework team is advising the family of a 14 year old girl, Amy ElKeria, who took her own life at a private mental health clinic for adolescents (Priory Ticehurst, Hastings). The casework team is receiving increasing numbers of requests for advice involving deaths in private mental health clinics and is concerned about the additional difficulties arising in those in cases around Article 2 investigations. Patrick Whiting The inquest into the death of Patrick Whiting concluded in February. Patrick had a long history of mental health problems and psychiatric care issues. In the period before his death he had attempted to take his own life leading to his hospitalisation followed by detention under the Mental Health Act. Against his own wishes and concerns of his brother, Patrick was sent home. He informed his crisis team that he had made a noose. The inquest highlighted a string of systematic failings to safeguard Patrick including removing the noose which Patrick later used to take his life. The jury returned a narrative verdict of Hanging whilst suffering a mental health illness. The jury identified 10 failings in addition to a missmanaged discharge and care plan. Nicholas Saunders Following a Rule 43 recommendation made by the coroner following the inquest into the death of 18 year old Nicholas Saunders in HMYOI Stoke Heath who hanged himself from the light fitting, the prison responded saying that most of the light fittings have now been changed and a whole scale refurbishment will start in August 2013.


page 7 of 16


Deaths in custody in England & Wales 2012 As of 31 December 2012 there were 186 deaths is prison, of which 60 were self-inflicted. Deaths in prison England and Wales 2012 200 180 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 Self-Inflicted

Non-Self-Inflicted

Other Nonnatural causes

Restraint

Homicide

Awaiting Classification

Total

The year was defined by three spikes in self-inflicted deaths: January saw the highest number, followed by July. And despite a decline through the Autumn, the number of self-inflicted deaths rose sharply in December. This is a common pattern as the festive period can be a challenging and difficult time for vulnerable people. January was notable too for the selfinflicted deaths of two children in prison custody – Jake Hardy, 17, and 15 year old Alex Kelly.

Deaths in prison January-December 2012 16 14 12 10 Non-Self-Inflicted

8

Self-Inflicted

6 4 2 0 01/12

02/12

03/12

04/12

05/12

06/12

07/12

08/12

09/12

10/12

11/12

12/12


page 8 of 16

Issue 19 – February 2013 There were a total of 23 deaths in police custody or as the result of a road incident or shooting. Nine were custody deaths, one was a police shooting and 13 were caused by police pursuit or a road traffic incident.

Deaths in police custody or following police contact England & Wales 2012 25 20 15 10 5 0 Custody

Shooting

Pursuit

RTI

Total

Source: INQUEST casework and monitoring. Further statistical information can be found on our website.

Recurrent issues relating to police deaths were identified throughout 2012, with restraint and mental health a particular theme. INQUEST plans to publish a full statistical overview for 2012 soon.

Deaths in custody 2013 As of 28 February 2013 there have been 28 deaths in prison custody, of which 6 were self-inflicted. Deaths in prison to 28 February 2013 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 Self-Inflicted

Non-Self-Inflicted

Other Nonnatural causes

Restraint

Homicide

Awaiting Classification

Total

There have been 4 police deaths so far in 2013, all four of which were the consequence of a police pursuit.


page 9 of 16


Deaths in police custody or following police contact to 28 February 2013 5

4

3

2

1

0 Custody

Shooting

Pursuit

RTI

Total

Meetings and events INQUEST meets regularly with key stakeholders involved in issues surrounding the investigation and inquest process following contentious deaths, including the Independent Police Complaints Commission, the Prison and Probation Ombudsman and the Ministry of Justice, to ensure that the experiences of families in the inquest process are taken into account. We also organise and speak at or attend external events, with highlights listed below: National Preventative Mechanism presentation on learning from deaths in custody inquests Deborah Coles presented a paper to the National Preventative Mechanism in February. The NPM is the umbrella body established under the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT) to oversee treatment of all detainees in the UK. It is made up of 18 independent bodies across the UK that have the right regularly to inspect all places of detention. The INQUEST presentation focused on how to best learn from death in custody inquests, drawing on the research and findings from our report published last year and associated work. The presentation gave rise to a lively discussion about how the NPM could benefit from issues arising from deaths in custody, and it was agreed that this would form part of the NPM’s future work. INQUEST looks forward to working with the NPM to achieve this important objective. In the week following the meeting, the NPM published its annual report, which highlighted serious concerns over the use of force and restraint. INQUEST Lawyers Group meeting with Chief Coroner The INQUEST Lawyers Group met with the Chief Coroner, HH Judge Peter Thornton QC, for the first time in November. The meeting marked the start of an ongoing dialogue with the Chief Coroner, as lawyers and © INQUEST 2011 Registered Charity no 1046650 ¦ Registered Company no 03054853

page 10 of 16

Issue 19 – February 2013 INQUEST continue to raise families’ concerns to him and inform him about their experiences. As part of this, INQUEST and the ILG will be contributing to a Ministry of Justice consultation that opened on 1 March on the implementation of reforms laid out in the Coroners and Justice Act 2009. The provisions of the Act have yet to be introduced, partly thanks to uncertainty over the Chief Coroner post. INQUEST’s successful campaign to retain the Chief Coroner role back in 2011 led to his appointment in 2012 and now, finally, we are expecting reforms in summer this year. Families are encouraged to respond to the consultation, that closes on 12 April, and as always, we will reflect their collective experiences in our response. One of the welcome provisions of the new Act was unexpectedly implemented early. This is the change to the legislation on coroners’ jurisdictions that meant only the coroner in the district where someone died could hear the inquest. Now as a result of a commencement order issued on 12 February it is possible in some circumstances for the inquest to be heard in a different location. This is to allow the Hillsborough inquests to be moved from Sheffield, as requested by the families. Lecture to Coventry University criminology students Helen Shaw was invited to speak as a guest lecturer as part of Coventry University’s criminology undergraduate degree course in November. The lecture focused on accountability in policing, highlighting the experiences of bereaved families INQUEST works with and our policy work on the issue. The lecture hall was packed out, with students giving excellent feedback and many referencing INQUEST documents in their subsequent essays. This was an excellent opportunity to engage young people with issues relating to deaths in custody.

Upcoming events United Families and Friends Campaign Inaugural Committee & Family Meeting 16 March 2013 The United Families & Friends Campaign is a coalition of families affected by deaths and abuse in various forms of custody. In existence for some 13+ years, up until now it has been an informal unconstituted group. UFFC has plans afoot to become a formally constituted unincorporated association. To this end affected families, their friends or supporters and selected campaigning and civil liberties organisations are being invited to attend this important meeting. Venue: Afro-Caribbean Millennium Centre, 339 Dudley Road, Winson Green, Birmingham, B18 4HB © INQUEST 2011 Registered Charity no 1046650 ¦ Registered Company no 03054853

page 11 of 16

Issue 19 – February 2013 Date & Time: 16 March 2013, 3.00pm to 5.00pm Presentations will be by Ken Fero (Migrant Media), Samantha Rigg (Sean Rigg Justice and Change Campaign) and Saqib Deshmukh (Justice 4 Paps Ullah) and the session will be chaired by Tippa Naphtali (Friends of Mikey Powell Campaign & 4WardEver UK). Pre-booking is essential as seating is limited To book a place please contact: 4WardEver UK Tel: 0843 289 4994; Email: [email protected] Friends of Mikey Powell Campaign Mob: 07841 408 587; Email: [email protected] Migrant Media Tel: 07770 432 439 Joint INQUEST and Doughty Street conference: ‘Deaths in custody – investigations and remedies’, 25 March Doughty Street chambers, in conjunction with INQUEST, is holding a one day conference on 25 March for practitioners exploring the various mechanisms through which families affected by such a death may obtain accountability and ensure lesson learning to prevent future recurrences. The Chief Coroner, His Honour Judge Peter Thornton QC, will be the keynote speaker with other experts from within both organisations including Deborah Coles, Paul Bowen QC, Stephen Cragg QC, Paula Sparks, Henrietta Hill and Maria Roche. Places are free but delegates are requested to make a donation to the work of INQUEST of £100 per delegate at http://www.justgiving.com/inquest/Donate. In the event of oversubscription preference will be given to those who have made a donation. To reserve a place please contact [email protected] or contact a member of Doughty Street’s events team on 020 7404 1313. INQUEST seminar: Children’s Needs following a death in detention requiring an inquest, 24 April INQUEST is holding a free seminar for bereavement organisations on the specific needs of children bereaved by a death in custody. The seminar is kindly being hosted by Garden Court chambers on the 24 April. The seminar is part of a project funded by the BIG Lottery to increase understanding by those who work in bereavement care of the particular needs of bereaved people who are facing an inquest process.


page 12 of 16

Issue 19 – February 2013 If you are a member of a bereavement organisation and you wish to find out more about the seminar, please contact [email protected]. How Corrupt is Britain? Deborah Coles to speak at one day conference in Liverpool, 10 May ‘How Corrupt is Britain?’ is a one day conference bringing together campaigners, academics, key public figures and journalists to explore how we should tackle the corruption of public life in Britain. It will take place at the University of Liverpool on Friday 10 May and is hosted by the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies. For more information and to book please visit their website.

Fundraising Hodge Jones & Allen festive quiz in support of INQUEST Solicitors firm Hodge Jones & Allen hosted a terrific fundraising quiz over the festive period. An annual event, the quiz raised £2100 for INQUEST’s work. We are very grateful to Anna Thwaites for organising the lively event, and to Tooks and Matrix chambers for kindly sponsoring. If you would like to organise a quiz or any other event in support of INQUEST, we would love to hear from you! Please email [email protected] with any ideas Spring appeal Thanks to the difficult economic climate INQUEST, like many other small charities, is facing serious financial uncertainty and a turbulent time ahead. So we are asking whoever can to please consider becoming a regular supporter of INQUEST. A gift of just £10 per month could help secure INQUEST’s future and sustain our support for bereaved families. It’s easy to do – just go to our justgiving page and click on the monthly donation tab. If you are a tax payer and you Gift Aid your donation, the government will give us 25p for every pound you donate – at no extra cost to you.

You can also set up your own page to raise funds for us.


page 13 of 16

Issue 19 – February 2013 Thanks: To Irwin Mitchell Solicitors for donating the proceeds of their upcoming seminar in April to INQUEST To Doughty Street Chambers for waiving their fee for their upcoming conference and asking delegates to donate to INQUEST instead To Tom Woodward who is doing the London to Brighton Bike Ride for INQUEST http://www.justgiving.com/TomSWoodward And to all those who have made a donation to INQUEST following our recent appeal – we have raised £8350 so far. To make a donation or become a regular giver to INQUEST click here Hands Up As we write we are gearing up for our biggest fundraising event of the year, our annual Hands Up for INQUEST fundraising dinner. This year, we are fortunate to have comedian Doc Brown as our special guest performer. As usual, demand has been incredibly high and we have sold out. Watch out for a full report of the evening in the next INQUEST enewsletter. Don’t forget that you can support INQUEST by using the Everyclick search engine too (www.everyclick.com/inquest) and also now using their Give as You Live app too – see the Everyclick website for more details.

Staff and volunteers A warm welcome to Tom Woodward who has joined us as admin volunteer. And our thanks to Eavan McKay, who has completed her Communications and Information internship with us. Applications for her replacement closed last week and we hope to appoint a new intern very soon. Volunteer with INQUEST INQUEST is looking for volunteers for a number of different opportunities at our office in Finsbury Park. If you are interested in volunteering your time and skills we would love to hear from you. For more information please email [email protected] with a copy of your CV and details of your availability. © INQUEST 2011 Registered Charity no 1046650 ¦ Registered Company no 03054853

page 14 of 16


Spreading the word INQUEST has been getting people talking about what we do and why we do it. We are committed to working in partnership with bereaved families, other charities and non-governmental organisations to achieve change in the investigation and inquest process. We have also been improving links with our supporters using social networking and our website. Social networking We now have over 2000 Twitter followers and over 700 ‘likes’ on facebook! We’re really grateful for all your support and engagement with us. Many of the links to news stories, events and other information of interest in this newsletter are posted by INQUEST to our Facebook page and Twitter feed as well as on the website. This is a good way for us to hear from you too – please do continue to let us know your thoughts and opinions.

Join INQUEST on Facebook facebook.com/inquestUK

Follow INQUEST on Twitter twitter.com/ INQUEST_ORG

Latest publications Learning From Death in Custody Inquests: A New Framework for Action and Accountability This groundbreaking report highlights the serious flaws in the learning process following an inquest into a death in custody or following contact with state agents. Available as a free download from the INQUEST website or to buy in hard copy at a cost of £10.

Fatally Flawed: has the state learned lessons from the deaths of children and young people in prison? This new evidence based report examining the experiences and treatment of children and young people who died in prison custody in England and Wales is published by INQUEST and the Prison Reform Trust. ‘Fatally Flawed: Has the state learned lessons from the deaths of children and young people in prison?’ is an in-depth analysis of the deaths of children and young people (aged 18-24) while in the care of the state. It is available as a free download on the INQUEST website.


page 15 of 16

Issue 19 – February 2013 Inquest Law magazine Issue 25 was published in December and issue 26 will follow in April 2013. Issue 25 had a particular focus on open justice in inquests. Inquest Law is available as part of membership of the INQUEST Lawyers Group, or by stand-alone subscription from the INQUEST website. We also welcome advertising in the journal. The Inquest Handbook

INQUEST.

The Inquest Handbook is the fully revised and redesigned second edition of INQUEST’s comprehensive guide to the coroners’ inquest system in England and Wales, published in January 2011. Developed in collaboration with other specialist advice agencies and bereaved people who have been through the difficult circumstances of a death involving a coroner’s inquest, it is available for free to bereaved people from

Thank you for sending me this handbook. It is an invaluable new resource... a number of our families every year need to attend inquests, as a majority of the deaths are sudden and unexpected. The handbook will be of great help to them… (Bereavement agency) I feel much better for speaking to you and really appreciate your calling me. My day has improved and is much brighter now. You're wonderful thank you so much. The handbook has been really helpful and I have learnt a lot from this. (Bereaved family member) You can find out more about and read the full Handbook online at www.handbook.inquest.org.uk. Other publications are available to download and order from INQUEST's website. For further information about any of the issues contained in this newsletter please contact [email protected] Disclaimer: INQUEST is not responsible for the content of external websites linked to from this newsletter.


page 16 of 16