Inquests

A Coroner will undertake an inquest if the cause of death is unknown or if the person:

• Possibly died a violent or unnatural death. 
• Died in custody or otherwise in state detention.

It is a coroner's duty at an inquest to establish who the deceased was and how, when and where the deceased came by his or her death. It is a fact finding process.  An inquest is not permitted to determine or appear to determine a criminal liability by a named person or civil liability.  It is about what happened, and how it happened, not who was responsible for what happened; this is the responsibility of the civil and criminal courts.

After an inquest the coroner will send the necessary details to the register of births and deaths for the death to be registered when it occurred in England and Wales.

Please note: That if the coroner has decided to investigate a death, registration of the death must wait for the coroner to finish his or her inquiries.  These inquiries may take time, so it is always best to contact the coroner's office before any funeral arrangements are made.

Contact with Coroners

We are keeping COVID-19 safe and would ask that you do not visit the Coroner’s Office in person unless you are specifically advised to do so by a Coroners Officer.

For any enquiries please email coroners@iow.gov.uk

Alternatively you can Telephone 01983 823010.

Please note that due to these unprecedented times the Coroners Office workstreams have increased.  It will take longer for a Coroners Officer to respond to any telephone messages. Please email your enquiry to the above email address where the response may be quicker.

Latest Inquest Dates

We regularly update the list of latest inquest dates. However dates and times can be subject to change at short notice.

Section 9C Inquests

Inquests to be concluded in writing pursuant to S.9C of the Coroners Justice Act 2009. These cases will be completed within 21 days of being listed on this website.