Couple win fight for inquest into daughter’s death

Possible police failings to be examined

A FRESH inquest is to be held into the death of Susan Nicholson, who was murdered by her boyfriend Robert Trigg, after her parents won a High Court challenge.

Ms Nicholson, 52, was murdered in 2011, five years after Trigg killed another lover, 35- year- old Caroline Devlin, in 2006, with neither death initially deemed suspicious by police.

Ms Nicholson’s parents, Elizabeth and Peter Skelton, brought a legal challenge against the senior coroner for West Sussex over the scope of a fresh inquest into their daughter’s death.

Lawyers for the couple claimed the senior coroner was wrong not to order a full inquest into the death, arguing there were police failings in the case which should be examined.

In a ruling yesterday, Lord Justice Popplewell and Mr Justice Jay allowed Mr and Mrs Skelton’s challenge, ruling that a full inquest must take place.

In their judgment, the senior judges said they were not finding that the police “were in fact guilty

of any failings, or in breach of the operational duties”.

They said: “Our conclusion is merely that that can credibly be suggested, so that an inquest should look into whether that is so. It may find that no criticism of the police is justified, or that any criticisms are isolated failures and not serious. That will be a matter for investigation at the inquest.”

Mr Skelton said the family is “relieved” at the ruling and hope they will now be able to get the answers they need at a fresh inquest.

He said: “We are really relieved now and we feel we are getting somewhere because there will be another inquest and we hope we will get the answers we have been waiting for.

Trigg was jailed for at least 25 years in 2017 for Ms Devlin’s manslaughter and Ms Nicholson’s murder.

After his conviction, the High Court quashed the original inquest into Ms Nicholson’s death, which made a finding of accidental death, and ordered a new inquest be held. The senior coroner for West Sussex ruled that this would be a fresh short inquest, with no witnesses questioned.

In October Heather Williams QC, barrister for Mr and Mrs Skelton, told the High Court at a hearing that the couple had argued to the coroner that the “circumstances leading up to Susan’s death involved arguable breaches by Sussex Police”.