Where to find info about inquests, inquiries and such.

[Roy Lime]

I'd like to read up about what would happen in the aftermath of a police shooting. My interest does not relate to a specific case - I'm trying to get a handle on the legal processes thereafter. Is anyone able to offer any pointers please?

PM is fine.

Thanks

[anonymous-user]

Here's the policing point of view:

http://www.sussex.police.uk/policing-in-sussex/tra...

http://www.acpo.police.uk/documents/uniformed/2011...

[Roy Lime]

Good start. Thanks.

[Roy Lime]

Would anyone with any experience of how these inquests etc. work be prepared to give me a simple, dispassionate explanation and answer a few questions (which may well be idiotic)?

I stress this is entirely hypothetical and not related to any particular case.

[anonymous-user]

I have done two Inquests and three judicial reviews about deaths after police contact (two shooting cases, two fatal car chases, one drunk bloke run over in street shortly after being told to go home by police). Ask away. I am working a bit today, so replies may be slow.

[Roy Lime]

It's liable to get complicated (code for I'm trying to minimise how foolish I end up looking in public). I've got three or four questions about a hypothetical situation. Would a PM be okay?

[anonymous-user]

Yes, but I don't believe for a second that you are talking about a hypothetical situation. Why so coy?

[anonymous-user]

Also, although I may get ragged for this, one reason why I post here is to try and provide a bit of legal education to interested fellow petrolheads. Therefore a public discussion may be helpful. I don't agree with the mantra that there is no such thing as a stupid question, but I also don't expect people to know much about various legal topics starting from scratch, so ask away.

I wish that all schools taught basic law, politics, and citizenship as a non examined subject in the GCSE year. A free common law democracy needs a well informed citizenry if it is to remain free under the rule of law. Whoops, pompous!

[Roy Lime]

I promise it is; I'm just researching something. I'll compose a PM and fire it over.

Thanks.

[gjf764]

Perhaps you gents could find a way of making it for public consumption?

Not trying to brown nose but I am one of the fascinated and keen to be educated on that there legal stuff

[anonymous-user]

Assume a fatal shooting by a police officer of some bloke.

The IPCC would be involved straight away. The officer would be off firearms duties pending investigation.

Inquest - Coroner and jury. Enhanced level of scrutiny to comply with article 2 ECHR - the right to life requires the State to take steps to protect life, and requires careful investigation after State agents cause death, so not a boggo Inquest. IPCC would wait for Inquest verdict before reporting. IPCC would be an interested party at the Inquest, as would family of deceased, and the officer/Chief Constable, and each would probably appear by counsel and ask questions but not make speeches. Inquest would open soon after death, be adjourned, and be heard and concluded about a year later. Narrative verdict likely. IPCC then report. File to CPS if shooting looks dodgy. Chief Constable possibly on a health and safety rap if there has been process failure as per Menezes.



Officer would possibly be named, but fact dependent.

[gjf764]

Thank you, always appreciated.

You missed the bit about chavy extended family spitting on senior police officers and large scale rioting

[anonymous-user]

Not every case has those. Consider also the non chavvy and genuinely grieving families of Jean Charles de Menezes and Harry Stanley (the latter family a bit shouty but not rioty), and the dignified non chavvy widow of Mark Saunders.

[gjf764]

Breadvan72 said:

Not every case has those. Consider also the non chavvy and genuinely grieving families of Jean Charles de Menezes and Harry Stanley (the latter family a bit shouty but not rioty), and the dignified non chavvy widow of Mark Saunders.

Very true, I was being needlessly childish. I'll read up on the Harry Stanley case, I don't know anything about that one.

[smegmore]

Completely O/T I know, but how could I find out about the details of an inquest that happened @ 30 years ago? Not police related or anything like that, this was a sporting accident which I witnessed as a spectator.

Any pointers would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[anonymous-user]

Nothing likely to be easily accessible online. Try the Public Record Office if you know which Coroner's Court heard the case.

Edited by anonymous-user on Wednesday 23 April 21:39

[anonymous-user]

gjf764 said:

... I'll read up on the Harry Stanley case, I don't know anything about that one.

Read this first. There is loads of BS on the web about the case.


http://www.bailii.org/cgi-bin/markup.cgi?doc=/ew/c...

[gjf764]

Breadvan72 said:

Read this first. There is loads of BS on the web about the case.


http://www.bailii.org/cgi-bin/markup.cgi?doc=/ew/c...

Wow, thank you. Not sure if it's the right word but hopefully you get satisfaction from making a difference in real life for people

[anonymous-user]

I do, actually, but many on here will tell you that I and others who do the same job as me just do it for money and power and don't give a toss about anything that matters (I have not much money and no power, BTW).

[smegmore]

Breadvan72 said:

Nothing likely to be easily accessible online. Try the Public Record Office if you know which Coroner's Court heard the case.

Edited by Breadvan72 on Wednesday 23 April 21:39

Thanks BV, I'll have a look into it.