The Daily Telegraph - Saturday
Covid backlog on inquests has bereaved waiting a year
Charles Hymas Home AffAirs editor
LOCKDOWN backlogs in coroner’s courts have left thousands of bereaved families waiting more than a year to find out how and why their loved ones died.
Official figures show that nearly 5,000 families have had to wait at least 12 months for an inquest to be held in order to establish the circumstances and cause of their loved ones’ deaths.
This is double the number prior to the pandemic with a third of them being forced to wait more than two years before securing a verdict.
Solicitors specialising in representing bereaved parents said the delays extend the anguish for families and could undermine the criminal justice system because witnesses would be less able to recall details of events.
The figures were revealed by the chief coroner, Judge Thomas Teague, in his annual report in which he admits the delays are “concerning” with some areas facing “large” backlogs. He said they largely stemmed from the chaos caused by Covid, when inquests had to be adjourned because of restrictions.
He also criticised some local councils for “unacceptable” funding which compounded the problems coroners faced in reducing the Covid backlogs.
Inquests are supposed to conclude within six months of a death but his figures showed the number of cases older than a year was 4,568, double the rate of 2,278 before the pandemic. Those waiting more than two years have quadrupled from 378 in 2017 to 1,760 in 2022.
Jennifer Ellis, a solicitor specialising in inquest investigations at the law firm Bolt Burdon Kemp, said it was not just due to the pandemic but reflected a steady “stagnation” since funding cuts in 2014 started to bite. She warned it could undermine the integrity of inquests because of a decline in the reliability of evidence.
“The wait for closure can be agonisingly painful and can prolong a grieving family’s anguish as they’re left in limbo,” she said.
“Aside from the additional distress and heartache endured by bereaved families ... it seems unlikely that a delayed inquest would uncover the same degree of reliable evidence as an inquest conducted in a timelier fashion.
“Inevitably, an inquest proceeding years after the event may examine witnesses who are vaguer in their recollection of events calling into question the credibility of their accounts.
“In addition, the retrieval of dependable evidence identified through
‘It seems unlikely that a delayed inquest would uncover the same degree of reliable evvidence’
Grieving families left with no answers as coroners’ courts struggle to make a dent on lockdown delays
cross-examination is less likely. In essence, the existing delays in the coronial system are impeding the proper administration of justice.
“This will inevitably lead to a loss of faith in the coronial system,” she added.
Judge Teague said that during a national tour of coroner’s courts, he said he “encountered some regrettable examples of authorities failing to provide an acceptable level of funding”.
He said that “all too often” a lack of interest or understanding regarding the coroner system meant court offices lack the “organisation and resources to thrive” and retain staff.
A Government spokesman said: “We are determined to ease the burden on grieving families and have taken decisive action to reduce coroners’ caseloads which increased as a result of the pandemic.