Coroners have the power to call witnesses to appear at an inquest, and to determine the evidence to be heard. It is the general duty of every citizen (under common law) to attend an inquest if they are in possession of any information or evidence that details how a person came to their death. Notification to appear as a witness will generally be informal, but a Coroner can issue a summons where a witness absents themselves without explanation. Summonses are issued under the Coroner's common law powers and are governed by the directions set out in the Civil Procedure Rules. Prosecutors will be aware of the LPP that applies to specific case material and the MG3 - there is no statutory obligation for specific documents to be disclosed to a Coroner unless a summons has been issued. Prosecutors should use their discretion to determine the case information they disclose, but should note that information to be disclosed only needs to be relevant to the Coroner's inquest parameters; there is no requirement to disclose any specific information in statute governing the coroners' conduct.

Under the Licensing Act 1872, it is an offence to be drunk in charge of a carriage, horse, cow or steam engine, or whilst in possession of a loaded firearm, for that matter. The Office of the Chief Coroner was created by the Coroners and Justice Act 2009, with the first Chief Coroner being appointed in September 2012. The Chief Coroner heads the coroner system and has overall responsibility and national leadership for Coroners in England and Wales. It is common for such inquests to be heard where the death occurred in a medical context, or where the deceased was in police or other custody immediately prior to his/her death (including where a suicide has taken place). Deprivation of life shall not be regarded as inflicted in contravention of this Article when it results from the use of force which is no more than absolutely necessary:The police will determine whether a further investigation is required, and whether a 'fresh' charging decision is needed by the CPS. The police should notify the Coroner and bereaved of the next steps to be taken; prosecutors may also want to ensure CPS Bereaved Families Policy is adopted as required. In these circumstances, the Coroner will adjourn the inquest until the consideration of the charges (if there are to be any) is concluded. CPS role during inquest adjournments The majority of cases in which the coroner will be asked for a second post-mortem examination are suspected homicide cases. Either there is an identified suspect or there is a request from the police to hold a second post-mortem examination where there may be a suspect identified but not yet charged. This applies to non-terrorist offending. Potential Terrorism Act offences would fall to the Counter Terrorism Division to consider. Section 11 of the Contempt of Court Act 1981 provides that in any case where a court allows a name or other matter to be withheld from the public in proceedings before the court, the court may give directions prohibiting the publication of that name in connection with the proceedings.

The offence under section 2 of the 1883 Act is wider than the Offences Against the Persons Act offences because: In cases where the cause of death is not in issue, it is unlikely that a second post-mortem examination will be needed.

Prosecutors should inform their Area / Casework Division Coroner SPOC of requests from coroners to assist with overseas enquiries. The Code for Crown Prosecutors Granada's Head of Factual Drama Ian McBride described the show as revisiting "an atmospheric past as Edward Woodward intrigues the viewer by walking through period sets and examining the unknown quirks of a crime gone by." [1] The coroner should disclose a post-mortem examination report to a suspect, (Rule 13(2)(a) of The Coroners (Inquests) Rules 2013). The coroner may refuse to provide the report where the document relates to contemplated or commenced criminal proceedings (under Rule 15(d)). Prior to disclosure the coroner is advised to consult with the police and / or CPS. Road traffic collision deaths

The CPS will notify the coroner where his or her investigation can run in parallel with the criminal proceedings. The act contains 69 paragraphs, dealing with a wide range of detailed matters relating to salmon fisheries. Matters covered include Inquests will, in most cases, remain adjourned whilst criminal proceedings are being considered. However, where an inquest takes place and a criminal act has not been suspected as leading to the cause of death, the Coroner may restrict any evidence being heard at the inquest if he/she thinks it might prejudice any future criminal proceedings. Cases previously reviewed by the CPS, where no charges have been brought or where charges have been discontinued or terminated.This approach reduces the number of cases which may eventually lead to a verdict of unlawful killing in a coroner’s court although some notable exceptions include: Where suspicion arises that the deceased's death was caused by a criminal act, the Coroner will open an inquest, and then adjourn it until the conclusion of any criminal proceedings has been finalised, sine die (without fixed date). The CPS will be involved with Coroners' adjournments where there is cause to believe that the death of the deceased was as a result of: Prosecutors should note the case of Worcestershire County Council, Worcestershire Safeguarding Children Board and HM Coroner for the County of Worcestershire [2013] EWHC 1711 (QB), which concerns a Coroner's request for the LSCB's draft overview report, as well as the underlying reports. The High Court said that disclosure was permitted only to the Coroner and not to interested parties at any request. Code for Crown Prosecutors Now 75 and suffering from diabetes Roger Huntman describes the fatal moment when Mills may have signed his own death warrant. 'Freddie made a bet and laid his life down because of that bet. Big mistake, big mistake.' Pending public inquiry - A Coroner must suspend an investigation into the deceased's death if it is likely that the cause of death will be adequately investigated by an inquiry under the Inquiries Act 2005. A Coroner may not need to suspend the investigation if there appears an exceptional reason for not doing so.

Expert evidence should only seek to assist with specialist knowledge and information outside the knowledge of the tribunal of fact. Proof of the offence may come, in part, from what non-expert witnesses have observed. Highly exceptionally it may come solely from non-expert witnesses where it is established that an expert cannot assist with specialist knowledge and information and where the non-expert evidence provides sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction. Prosecutors should make clear in such highly exceptional cases the position as to expert evidence in their application for consent, liaising with the AGO as appropriate prior to submission of the application. Consent applications must explain the prosecutor’s position on the question of expert evidence. In threshold test cases, this includes on what basis it is said there are reasonable grounds to suspect the person to be charged has committed the offence alleged, and what further evidence is likely to be available within a reasonable time. This will ordinarily involve providing at least preliminary expert evidence with the application. Lawful objectHandling a salmon in suspicious circumstances is actually a new law enshrined in Section 32 of the Salmon Act 1986. Talking Pictures TV have announced its intention to air the British true crime drama television series In Suspicious Circumstances. The show was initially produced by Granada Television for the ITV network and ran for five series between 1991 and 1996; Introduced by Edward Woodward. The earlier episodes seemed to focus on some of the better known cases, later in the series it details some of the more obscure cases. cases where a death appear not to be suspicious at first, but evidence subsequently is found to give grounds for suspicion of homicide. Prosecutors should refer to ‘CPS role during inquest adjournments’ for further detail alongside this section.