Inquests when there is a criminal or other investigation

Criminal investigations 

If there is a criminal investigation or someone is charged with a crime related to a death (like murder or manslaughter), the Coroner will usually adjourn (pause) the inquest until the investigation or trial is finished.

Where there is a criminal investigation into the death, the criminal defence team may ask for a second post-mortem,  but they do not have an automatic right to one.

When the criminal investigation or trial is over, the Coroner will decide how best to continue with the inquest. If, for example, all the facts about the death have come out at the criminal trial then the nature of the inquest may be more limited than it would otherwise have been.

It is important to understand that the findings at an inquest cannot be inconsistent with the outcome of a criminal trial. The Coroner will explain the relationship between any criminal process and the inquest process to the interested persons in appropriate cases.

Other investigations

Sometimes other organisations such as the Health Department (in relation to hospital deaths) or the Health and Safety Inspectorate (in respect of deaths in the workplace) may carry out a separate investigation into a death.

These investigations usually conclude before the inquest and the Coroner will be given the results of these investigations so that they can use the information at the inquest.