A High Court bid to repoen an inquest in connection with a death on Anglesey in 1994 has failed.
Following hearings on 14 April and 25 May 2010, the High Court has rejected an application under the Coroners’ Act 1988 by Mrs Audrey Fraser of 1 Maes y Brenin, Colwyn Bay to reopen the inquest into the death of her mother, Doreen Morris, who died in suspicious circumstances on her farm outside Holyhead in 1994. The application was brought against the current Coroner for North West Wales, Dewi Pritchard Jones, who was represented by the Council’s Legal Service.
Mrs Fraser wanted to reopen the inquest because she is not satisfied with the cause of death of “not ascertained” recorded following the original inquest. She submits that the original inquest should have resulted in recording a cause of death of “unlawful killing”. The original inquest was commenced by the Coroner’s predecessor, the late Emyr Ditton-Jones, but was discontinued in 1995 when the Chester Crown Court acquitted the man charged with murdering Mrs Morris.
Opposing the application, Mr Pritchard Jones argued that it would not be “necessary or desirable in the interests of justice” to hold a fresh inquest more than 16 years following the death of Mrs Morris. He also argued that a new inquest would not necessarily result in a verdict of unawful killing. He added that there is a “real risk” that an open or narrative verdict may be delivered.
Upon handing down judgment with Mr Lord Justice Pill, Mrs Justice Rafferty said that she has some sympathy with Mrs Fraser, but that she agrees with the Coroner’s arguments, such that the application cannot be supported.
Following its rejection of the application, the Court has ordered Mrs Fraser to pay the Coroner’s costs.
