Coronial Inquests
CORONIAL INQUESTS CAN RANGE IN NATURE BUT USUALLY RELATE TO DEATHS THAT OCCUR IN UNUSUAL CIRCUMSTANCES.
Coronial Inquests are often the most confronting types of proceedings facing an individual.
Coronial Inquests are often the most confronting types of proceedings facing an individual. Coronial Inquests can range in nature, but usually relate to deaths that occur in unusual circumstances.
The primary function of the inquest is to determine the cause of death, and to provide recommendations as to how deaths of a similar instance may be able to be avoided in the future. Beyond this, however, a Coroner does have the ability to refer matters that they believe contain criminal behaviour to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions for further investigation, which can result in criminal charges being laid against an individual.
Families of a deceased person who are seeking particular answers can refer the death of their loved one to the Coroner to determine whether or not they will further investigate the matter. By law, however, there are certain proceedings that must be the subject of an investigation and inquest, including:
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Deaths arising from a police operation; and
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Deaths in custody.
Inquests adopt an investigative type function. Proceedings of this nature can be lengthy, and can take a number of years to be finalised in Court. Given the nature of proceedings, Creevey Horrell Lawyers understands the importance of inquests, and the stressful nature of these proceedings.
The team at Creevey Horrell Lawyers is experienced in appearing at coronial hearings and inquests and iswilling to assist in representing you at all or parts of a Coronial matter. Our team has the ability to tailor representation to best suit the needs of the party we are representing: for example, our team understands that the representation given to the family of a deceased person may be very different to the approach taken in representing a professional body.