Serving as a juror in the Coroner's court

This section of the website explains what to do if you have been summoned to serve on a jury and what to expect in court.  There is also a government leaflet you can read with more details about jury service at an inquest here on the web,  or there is a link to it as a pdf document below.

At most inquests, there is no jury as the Coroner makes all the decisions.  However, at a small number of inquests, a jury is needed.  The Coroner will call a jury if a person dies in custody when the death is not clearly due to natural causes, or if their death was linked to their own or someone else's actions while at work, or to certain health and safety issues.  The Coroner may also decide to use a jury because they think it would be helpful or in the public interest.

We call members of the public to serve on the jury in the same way as other courts.  Jurors are chosen at random from the electoral register.  The jurors listen to the evidence and decide on the facts and the conclusion of the inquest (this used to be known as the verdict but the word conclusion now signifies how it is very different from the verdict in a criminal trial ).

Jury service is an important civic duty.  It can be challenging at times, however, many of our jurors also find it very satisfying and meaningful to take an active part in the justice system.  We are grateful to our jurors for the vital role they play and give them all possible support.

If you have a disability

Please let the coroner’s office know if you have a disability so that any necessary arrangements and adjustments can be made for you.