Deaths reported to a coroner
View deaths referred to the Coroner, inquest hearings and conclusions
The role of the Coroner is to investigate and record the causes and circumstances of all sudden deaths where the cause is:
- Not known or
- Violent or
- Unnatural or
- Occurred when the deceased was in custody
The Coroner is an independent judicial officer.
Herefordshire Coroner's Service
The Herefordshire Coroner is HG Mark Bricknell.
The Assistant Coroner is Roland JT Wooderson.
They are supported by:
Coroner's Clerk
- Administrative support is available on email coroners@herefordshire.gov.uk or telephone 01432 261813.
Administrative support is available to the public during the following hours:
Monday to Friday 8.30am - 12.30pm
Maggie Oliver - Coroner's Officer
- Telephone 01432 347178, email margaret.oliver@westmercia.police.uk
Hours: Monday to Friday 8.30am - 3.30pm
Sarah Sentinella - Coroner's Officer
- Telephone 01432 347351, email sarah.sentinella@westmercia.police.uk
Hours: Monday to Friday 8.30am - 3.30pm
The postal address is Coroner's Office, Town Hall, St Owen Street, Hereford HR1 2PJ
Outside the hours set out above, any sudden violent or unexpected deaths may be reported through any police officer.
About the Coroner
The Herefordshire Coroner sits at the Town Hall, Hereford.
He considers deaths in Herefordshire that are reported to him. Of the 2,000 or so deaths in the county each year approximately half are referred to the Coroner for consideration, some will necessitate a post mortem.
Of the cases referred, the Coroner will typically open an inquest in 100+ cases each year.
Some inquests proceed on the basis of evidence read by the Coroner. Interested parties may seek disclosure of the evidence prior to the inquest and/or request the Coroner give consideration to the person providing the evidence attending in person.
The Coroner endeavours to establish how the deceased died. Often this will be useful in understanding whether safe procedures or practices have been followed or can be improved.
The Coroner meets regularly with representatives from business, the police and hospitals to discuss ways in which deaths can be prevented or their number reduced, frequently using the knowledge gained from the inquest process. This leads to the adoption of new practices both within organisations and in our daily lives.
The Coroner, therefore, while endeavouring to provide a compassionate service for the bereaved, very much exists for the benefit of the living.
For more information on the role of a coroner and what to expect during a coroner's investigation, see the Ministry of Justice Guide to Coroner Services (pdf).
Deaths referred to the Coroner, inquest hearings and conclusions
Details of deaths referred to the Coroner, inquest hearings and conclusions are listed below.
Inquests may be listed at short notice and may not always appear on this page. If you are expecting an inquest to be listed and it does not appear please telephone or email the Coroner's office using the contact details above.
Opening of inquests and investigations in the current and previous month
Date | Venue | Name of deceased | Age at death | Hearing type |
---|---|---|---|---|
3 February 2025 | Town Hall, Hereford | Gillian Elizabeth Bate | 83 years | Inquest |
5 February 2025 | Town Hall, Hereford | Roy Cresswell Allen | 88 years | Investigation |
10 February 2025 | Town Hall, Hereford | Jessica Ellie Parsons | 21 years | Investigation |
10 February 2025 | Town Hall, Hereford | Trevor John Edward Whitefoot | 80 years | Investigation |
12 February 2025 | Town Hall, Hereford | Jamie Nigel Gawler | 54 years | Inquest |
12 February 2025 | Town Hall, Hereford | Winston Antonio Sorrell | 84 years | Investigation |
12 February 2025 | Town Hall, Hereford | Frederick Richard Young | 82 years | Inquest |
19 February 2025 | Town Hall, Hereford | Robert John Cotterell | 41 years | Investigation |
19 February 2025 | Town Hall, Hereford | David Watkin Lewis | 75 years | Inquest |
19 February 2025 | Town Hall, Hereford | Cynthia Helen Susan Rees | 90 years | Inquest |
21 February 2025 | Town Hall, Hereford | Sheila Jennings | 63 years | Investigation |
21 February 2025 | Town Hall, Hereford | Karen Louise Dowell | 60 years | Inquest |
25 February 2025 | Town Hall, Hereford | Joy Daphne Drew | 69 years | Inquest |
5 March 2025 | Town Hall, Hereford | Michael Nicholas Lambert | 67 years | Inquest |
5 March 2025 | Town Hall, Hereford | Dorothy Maud Jones | 90 years | Investigation |
13 March 2025 | Town Hall, Hereford | Karl Lee White | 46 years | Inquest |
19 March 2025 | Town Hall, Hereford | Martin Glover | 64 years | Inquest |
19 March 2025 | Town Hall, Hereford | Ilse Viola Landon | 94 years | Inquest |
19 March 2025 | Town Hall, Hereford | Lorna Pitt | 53 years | Investigation |
21 March 2025 | Town Hall, Hereford | Benjamin Josef Higgins | 27 years | Inquest |
24 March 2025 | Town Hall, Hereford | Mary Ann Cope | 78 years | Inquest |
26 March 2025 | Town Hall, Hereford | Charles Sibanda | 63 years | Investigation |
26 March 2025 | Town Hall, Hereford | Peter William Worthington | 81 years | Inquest |
Inquest and pre-inquest review hearings
All inquests will be held before a coroner sitting alone unless identified as before a jury.
Date | Time | Venue | Name of deceased | Age at death | Place of death | Coroner |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
31 March 2025 | 10am | Town Hall, Hereford | Lesley Anne Lowther | 83 years | County Hospital, Hereford | Roland J Wooderson |
31 March 2025 | 10.45am | Town Hall, Hereford | Robert Mainstone Taylor | 84 years | Hereford | Roland J Wooderson |
31 March 2025 | 11.30am | Town Hall, Hereford | Lee David Grant Cook | 48 years | County Hospital, Hereford | Roland J Wooderson |
31 March 2025 | 12.15pm | Town Hall, Hereford | Miles Christian Badger | 53 years | Hereford | Roland J Wooderson |
14 April 2025 | 10am | Town Hall, Hereford | Thomas Frederick Perfit | 78 years | Hereford | Roland J Wooderson |
14 April 2025 | 11am | Town Hall, Hereford | Gregory Toby Harris | 33 years | County Hospital, Hereford | Roland J Wooderson |
14 April 2025 | 12pm | Town Hall, Hereford | Nigel Robert Clark | 46 years | Herefordshire | Roland J Wooderson |
14 April 2025 | 2pm | Town Hall, Hereford | David Anthony Moore | 48 years | Ross-on-Wye | Roland J Wooderson |
Recent deaths referred to the Coroner
Date referred | Name | Date of death |
---|---|---|
10 February 2025 | David Willis | 6 February 2025 |
12 February 2025 | Denis John O'Vell | 11 February 2025 |
17 February 2025 | Elizabeth Anstice Barnett | 13 February 2025 |
17 February 2025 | Karen Scobbie | 16 February 2025 |
18 February 2025 | Marion Joan Brookes | 14 February 2025 |
18 February 2025 | Alison Judith Ellis | 18 February 2025 |
19 February 2025 | Paul Hurban Rooke | 14 February 2025 |
20 February 2025 | Brian Norman Weekes | 15 February 2025 |
20 February 2025 | Jonathan Dudley Lucas | 17 February 2025 |
25 February 2025 | David Peter Moruzzi | 21 February 2025 |
28 February 2025 | Derek William Pockett | 25 February 2025 |
28 February 2025 | Colin Geoffrey Parkins | 27 February 2025 |
28 February 2025 | Albert William Kent | 28 February 2025 |
7 March 2025 | John Richard Pike | 7 March 2025 |
11 March 2025 | John Terence Large | 7 March 2025 |
13 March 2025 | Muriel Boswell | 7 March 2025 |
17 March 2025 | Carol Ann Marfell | 13 March 2025 |
18 March 2025 | Graham Douglas Rye | 13 March 2025 |
18 March 2025 | Jean Rosemary Marston | 15 March 2025 |
Inquest conclusions in the current and previous month
Name of deceased | Date of conclusion | Conclusion |
---|---|---|
Karen Allen | 21 February 2025 | Narrative |
Emily Louise Carless | 26 February 2025 | Narrative |
Rosemarie Lowe | 26 March 2025 | Narrative |
Norman John Rees | 26 March 2025 | Narrative |
Gillian Elizabeth Bate | 26 March 2025 | Accidental death |
Treasure inquests
The Coroner is also responsible for inquests in connection with Treasure. Set out below are those Treasure inquests currently being considered.
Description of find | Hearing date | Time |
---|---|---|