Coroner may give teenager’s inquest extra power
ASPECIAL inquest with extra investigative powers could be held into the death of a 14-year-old girl.
Coroner Simon Nelson is considering holding a so-called ‘Article 2 Middleton inquest’ to establish how St Cuthbert’s High School pupil Charlotte Baron died last February.
Article 2 inquests are held under European Convention of Human Rights legislation and are often used when there have been serious and systematic failures which have led to a person’s death.
They give coroners greater powers to investigate the wider circumstances surrounding a death.
Lawyers used Article 2 to bring about the second inquests into the deaths of 96 Liverpool fans at the Hillsborough disaster and they are often convened to investigate deaths involving members of the armed forces.
Charlotte was found hanged at her home in Rochdale on February 20 last year.
Rochdale council has since launched a serious case review into her death.
Mr Nelson, the senior coroner for Rochdale North, told Friday’s preinquest review hearing at Rochdale Coroners Court that Pennine Care Trust and Rochdale council’s social services department are expected to be given ‘properly interested persons’ status during the inquest, along with members of Charlotte’s family.
He also told relatives that he is considering various issues before the main inquest, including who should be called as witnesses and whether a jury should be used.
Another pre-inquest hearing will take place next month.