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 which 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.

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.

For more information, email coroners@iow.gov.uk or call 01983 823010.

Please note the Coroner's Office will be closed from Thursday 15th June 2023 and will reopen on Tuesday 20th June 2023 due to the Isle of Wight Festival and there will be no site access to the office.  The Coroner's office will still be contactable on the above telephone number and email address during this time.

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

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.