Suicide
Will an inquiry be opened?
An inquiry will always be opened when a death is considered to be self-inflicted (suicide) so the coroner can ascertain the cause of death and confirm that there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death.
Will an inquest be held?
After considering the views of the family, the coroner will decide whether an inquest will be held.
This is a change from previous legislation, which required an inquest to be opened for every suicide. The new legislation was introduced with the Coroners Act 2006 on 1 July 2007.
Will it be a public hearing?
The inquest is generally open to the public. Any person may attend and listen to the proceedings. This may include the media.
In some circumstances, the coroner may decide to restrict access to a hearing. The coroner may choose to hold chambers findings.
Restrictions on making public details of a suicide
The law restricts details relating to a suicide from being made public, e.g. broadcasting or publishing (including Internet) without a coroner's permission. Prior to a coroner's findings, only the name and age of the deceased may be made public. After a coroner's findings (if any) have been released, only the name, address and occupation of the person concerned and the fact that the coroner found the death to be a suicide can be made public without a coroner's permission.
The family should take particular care what information they make public about the suicide.
Any person making public any other information without a coroner's permission is committing an offence and could be fined in accordance with section 139(a) of the Coroners Act 2006.
