B Mahendra discusses notorious inquests and anomalies in criminal cases
Inquest expertise
Death may hold its terrors but those appear to be nothing compared to the problems that can arise when an inquest is held into its circumstances. A coroner’s inquest into a sudden or unnatural death faces many pitfalls. Inadequate investigation of the cause of death is the usual reason for the difficulty. If the body has been released for cremation rather than burial there may be little scope for later repair of evidential inadequacy. Grieving relations as well as the general public may be left with a sense of unease. Criminal investigation may be thwarted. Two recent inquests, both of which had reached public consciousness through media publicity, involved some of these issues.
Howlett v HM Coroner for Devon and Holcroft [2006] EWHC 2570 (Admin), [2006] All ER (D) 46 (Oct) involved the case of Rachel Whitear who was found dead, aged 21, in a bedsit in Exmouth. She had been a heroin addict. Her parents, determined to ensure she had not died in vain, authorised the release of pictures of her dead body
