Watchdog probes three complaints against coroner
A WATCHDOG is now investigating three complaints against Manchester’s senior coroner Nigel Meadows.
It comes after the M.E.N. reported how a formal complaint on behalf of Manchester council had been made to the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office (JCIO) in April 2021 asking for an investigation into Mr Meadows’ conduct.
It called for Mr Meadows to be suspended while the complaint, which also raised concerns about his capacity to do the job, was investigated.
Now the JCIO has confirmed it is investigating two further complaints about Mr Meadows.
A spokesperson for the JCIO, which is responsible for investigating complaints against judicial officers, including coroners, said: “The JCIO is currently considering three complaints about Mr Meadows, including the one received in April 2021.”
As the M.E.N. reported in June, the original complaint raised concerns about five ‘specific areas’ of Mr Meadows’ conduct. It was made on April 19, 2021, by area coroner Zak Golombeck and Manchester council’s most senior lawyer, solicitor Fiona Ledden, who jointly wrote their complaint on behalf of the town hall.
Details of the allegations cannot be given for legal reasons, but they set out concerns in five specific areas of conduct – including inappropriate comments by Mr Meadows, both within inquests and outside of proceedings; and behaviour which Mr Golombeck and Ms Ledden describe as ‘bizarre.’
Their letter called for Mr Meadows’ ‘interim suspension’ pending the outcome of an investigation. He was not suspended and is understood to have carried on working.
The complaint concluded: “We submit that the conduct referred to above warrants investigation and sanction... we cannot see how [Mr Meadows] can return to performing his duties and administering justice. We reiterate our request that NM [Nigel Meadows] is suspended with immediate effect pending an investigation.”
Although Mr Meadows is funded by Manchester council, he is completely independent. He has presided over more than 10,000 inquests during his career and has continued to oversee hearings in the 17 months since the first complaint was made.
The M.E.N. contacted Mr Meadows for comment. When asked earlier this year why the original complaint was still being investigated more than 12 months after being made, the JCIO said: “Beyond confirming that a complaint was received in April 2021, we cannot comment on a matter that is still under consideration.”
Manchester council has also been contacted for comment. In a statement provided earlier this year, it said: “The coroner is an independent judicial officer. The matter is being investigated by the JCIO and we cannot comment any further.”