header-logo header-logo

Inquests: the quest for truth

06 August 2021 / Athelstane Aamodt
Issue: 7944 / Categories: Features , Inquests
printer mail-detail
54509
Athelstane Aamodt traces the 800-year history of the inquest—as important now as it ever was

The recent verdict at the inquest of the Croydon Tram crash has generated a great deal of news coverage. As most people know, a tram came off the rails on 9 November 2016, causing the death of seven people. The verdict of ‘accidental death’ has not been well-received by the families of the deceased.

We hear about inquests all the time in the news. But what are inquests exactly? Where do they come from? And why do we have them?

In times gone by

Inquests have been around for a remarkably long time. In his account of the culture of the Gauls, Julius Caesar mentioned a vaguely inquest-like procedure used among the ancient Gauls: ‘If a matter comes into suspicion about a death, they hold an inquiry (a quaestio) concerning the wives in the method used for slaves, and if guilt is established, they kill the wives, who have been tortured, with fire and all torments’

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

DWF—19 appointments

DWF—19 appointments

Belfast team bolstered by three senior hires and 16 further appointments

Cadwalader—Andro Atlaga

Cadwalader—Andro Atlaga

Firm strengthens leveraged finance team with London partner hire

Knights—Ella Dodgson & Rebecca Laffan

Knights—Ella Dodgson & Rebecca Laffan

Double hire marks launch of family team in Leeds

NEWS
Bea Rossetto of the National Pro Bono Centre makes the case for ‘General Practice Pro Bono’—using core legal skills to deliver life-changing support, without the need for niche expertise—in this week's NLJ
Charlie Mercer and Astrid Gillam of Stewarts crunch the numbers on civil fraud claims in the English courts, in this week's NLJ. New data shows civil fraud claims rising steadily since 2014, with the King’s Bench Division overtaking the Commercial Court as the forum of choice for lower-value disputes
Artificial intelligence may be revolutionising the law, but its misuse could wreck cases and careers, warns Clare Arthurs of Penningtons Manches Cooper in this week's NLJ
Small law firms want to embrace technology but feel lost in a maze of jargon, costs and compliance fears, writes Aisling O’Connell of the Solicitors Regulation Authority in this week's NLJ
Writing in NLJ this week, Victoria Rylatt and Robyn Laye of Anthony Gold Solicitors examine recent international relocation cases where allegations of domestic abuse shaped outcomes
back-to-top-scroll