Coroners

A coroner’s power to adjourn an inquest under s 16(1)(b) of the Coroner’s Act 1988 is discretionary.  Where a reason not to adjourn has been established, a decision to adjourn made in the exercise of that discretion cannot be impugned by way of judicial review provided that the decision was made rationally, taking into account all relevant matters and in the light of the state’s duty to investigate a death under Art 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights (the Convention).