Susan is a busy inquest practitioner who regularly represents HM Coastguard, Police Forces, Care provides, Education Providers, individual police officers/staff, Cruise Ships, Local Authorities and families.
Susan regularly appears in Article 2 and jury inquests and has appeared in lengthy inquests in which the determination of the cause of death are complex and involve the assessment of factual evidence and numerous experts.
Susan has experience of inquests involving:
- Firearms licensing and mass shootings
- Deaths in custody
- Modern Slavery
- Emergency services attendance, including multi agency response
- Search and rescue (land and sea)
- Drowning (swimmers and sinking ships)
- Jet-ski collisions
- Deaths in care homes
- Covid-19, in custody, and the community
- Hospital deaths, including complications in cardiology, urology procedures, elective surgeries, and labour
- Hyponatremia (including from excessive water intake)
- Neonates
- Sudden Infant Deaths
- Anorexia
- Suicides, in the community and voluntary, and involuntary inpatients
- Prescription medication (including opioids, and post-mortem redistribution)
- Prescribing errors
- Canine attack
- Accidents at work, including construction sites and docks
- Road traffic accidents
Featured Inquests cases
Inquests into Keyham/Plymouth mass shooting
In the 2023 inquests into Keyham/Plymouth mass shooting Susan was sole counsel representing the Firearms Licensing Supervisor. The inquests took place over 6 weeks and heard from over 60 witnesses. 11 interested persons were involved, 3 of whom were represented by silks and juniors. The inquest considered firearms licensing systems and culture within the police firearms unit, the shotgun licence application and a further review, the applicable legal framework for shotgun licences at the time including Home Office Guidance and the British Medical Associations response to that Guidance. These inquests received national media attention.
2 week jury inquest involving death by ligature
In 2023 Susan represent a Police Civilian Call Handler in a 2-week jury inquest, involving death by ligature, which examined the grading of a missing person call, interpretation of that call grading by Susan’s client following a shift change, and the appropriateness of Susan’s client communicating by email with another police force in the context of a search for a missing person.
Inquest into the death of Gaia Pope
In 2022 Susan, acted as sole counsel, representing HM Coastguard in the inquest into the death of Gaia Pope. In November 2017, 19-year-old Gaia was reported missing. The 12-week jury inquest into her death, involved counsel to the inquest, 15 interested persons and over 70 witnesses. The inquest explored mental health and epilepsy management, recent pre-death contact with the police, ambulance service and social services and an 11-day multi-agency search following Gaia going missing. The inquest heard expert evidence in pathology, entomology, neurology, psychiatry, and missing person search strategies and also included a jury scene view to where Gaia was found.
Inquest concerning the death of a sex worker who fell from a cliff
In 2022 Susan represented a police force in an inquest concerning the death of a sex worker who fell from a cliff. In advance of death the deceased disclosed she was a victim of modern slavery. The inquest explored a number of aspects of police involvement, including police interactions within the multi-agency safeguarding response, police offers of sanctuary, police investigation into the alleged offences, police response when attending a safeguarding concern on the day of death and the police force control room’s response to a 999 call from the deceased whilst on the cliff edge.
Inquest in to the death of a prison who dies from Covid-19
In 2021, in a week-long inquest, Susan represented the family of a prisoner, on the shielding list, who died from covid-19.
5-week Article 2 jury inquest in to the death of a remand prisoner on a prison healthcare unit
Susan represented a registered mental health nurse in a 5-week Article 2 jury inquest. TD was a remand prisoner on a prison healthcare unit for mental health concerns who unexpectedly died from gastro-intestinal haemorrhage. The inquests considered complications arising from prescription medication, methods of requesting GP assessment, communication between prison and healthcare staff and the interaction of mental health issues on physical health care.
12 day Article 2 jury inquest in to the death of a mental health patient
In a 12-day, Article 2, jury inquest Susan represented a police force following the deceased having been recently discharged from a mental health ward and on the day of death telephoning mental health services reporting an intention to drive or jump into the Thames, following which mental health services called the Police call centre. In addition to considering the appropriateness of mental health care this inquest explored communication between mental health services and police, police call grading, application of the police national decision-making model, communication between the police call handling centre and force control room and police conduct at the riverside.
8 day jury inquest in to the death of a novice jet skier
In an 8-day jury inquest Susan represented a novice jet skier involved in a fatal collision resulting in the death of an experienced jet skier. The inquest involved complex factual and expert evidence, including expert evidence regarding water collision reconstruction and medical causation. The Coroner requested submissions on the appropriateness of leaving unlawful killing to the jury.