His Honour Judge Keith Cutler CBE has been appointed by the Coroner for the North London District of Greater London to be an Assistant Deputy Coroner for the purposes of conducting the inquest into the death of Mark Duggan on 4 August 2011.
HHJ Cutler will hold a pre-inquest hearing on Monday 28th Jan 2013 at the North London Coroner’s Court.
Notes to Editors:
1. His Honour Judge Keith Cutler CBE is a Senior Circuit Judge and has been Resident Judge of Winchester and Salisbury since 2009. He is the Recorder of Winchester. He was called to the Bar (Lincoln’s Inn) 1972.
2. A photograph of HHJ Cutler can be downloaded from http://collateral.newsflashconnect.co.uk/RemoteStorage/Judiciary/Releases/538/hhj-cutler-20130107b.jpg
Photo credit should read: Judicial Office/Crown Copyright. This photo may only be used in connection with the reporting of the Duggan inquest. Re-use of the picture for uses unconnected to the Duggan inquest will require the permission of the copyright holder.
3. The judge will not be giving any media interviews regarding his appointment as Assistant Deputy Coroner or in relation to the inquest.
4. Previous appointments of serving and retired judges as assistant deputy coroners include: Lady Justice Hallett to conduct the inquest into the deaths of those killed in the London bombings on 7 July 2005; Lord Justice Scott Baker to conduct the inquests into the deaths of Diana, Princess of Wales and Dodi Al Fayed; Sir Michael Wright to conduct the inquest into the death of Jean Charles de Menezes; HHJ Peter Thornton QC to conduct the inquest into the death of Ian Tomlinson in the City of London and more recently Sir Robert Owen who is conducting the inquest into the death of Alexander Litvinenko. Like these appointees, HHJ Keith Cutler will have the same powers as a coroner when conducting an inquest.
5. The address of the North London Coroner’s Court is 29 Wood Street, Barnet EN5 4BE.
6. Some factual notes on the inquest process are set out below:
* An inquest is a fact-finding inquiry into a violent or unnatural death, sudden death of unknown cause, or death which has occurred in prison to establish who has died, and how, when and where the death occurred.
* The inquest is conducted by a coroner, and s/he hears evidence relating to the body and the circumstances of the death of a deceased person.
* Section 16 of the Coroners Act 1988 states that a coroner shall adjourn an inquest until the conclusion of any relevant criminal proceedings
* The inquest is a form of public inquiry to determine the truth. It is not a trial so there are no formal parties.
* The inquest verdict cannot be framed in such a way as to appear to determine matters of criminal liability on the part of a named person or civil liability.
* Section 8(3) of the 1988 Act sets out the circumstances in which an inquest must be held with a jury.
Press Office contacts for further information:
For information about the judge, HHJ Cutler, please contact the Judicial Press Office on 020 7073 4852.
For information about coroner policy or the funding arrangements of this inquest please contact the Ministry of Justice Press Office on 020 3334 3536.
For further details about the inquest please contact North London Coroner’s Court on 020 8447 7680.
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