An assistant coroner has been issued with formal advice for misconduct over an inquest that was still outstanding two years after it was adjourned.
The Judicial Conduct Investigations Office received a complaint about Louise Wiltshire from a family member of the deceased who complained that, at the time of making the complaint, it had been 14 months since the case was adjourned and no date for a resumed hearing had been set.
A spokesperson for the JCIO said: 'The guide to judicial conduct states that judicial office-holders are expected to display diligence and care in the discharge of judicial duties.
‘Rule 8 of the Coroners (Inquests) Rules 2013 requires a coroner to complete an inquest within six months of the date on which the coroner is made aware of the death or as soon as reasonably practicable after that date.’
Wiltshire apologised for the delay. She said there were ‘some’ resourcing challenges within the coronial area and the coronial service during the time of the investigation.
The JCIO said: ‘Ms Wiltshire also said that she adjourned the proceedings due to insufficient evidence. Whilst there had been subsequent difficulties in obtaining this information, Ms Wiltshire accepted that she had placed too much reliance on staff and could have been more proactive in reviewing the case to ensure that it proceeded.’
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An investigation found the inquest was still outstanding some two years after it was adjourned. Though other factors contributed to the delay, and Wiltshire’s behaviour was ‘not deliberate or reckless’, there had been ‘no positive, active or planned case management between when the inquest was adjourned and when the complaint was made’, the investigation found.
Wiltshire’s conduct was found to not have placed the family ‘at the heart of the inquest and reflected a lack of diligence’.
The lady chief justice, with the lord chancellor’s agreement, issued Wiltshire with formal advice for misconduct.
