Pressure on the Isle of Wight’s coroner continues to build with new claims emerging that hundreds of cases are sitting in a filing cabinet ‘ready to be heard’, but concerns have been raised by grieving families, officials and the press about the use of Section 9C powers to now quickly conclude cases behind closed doors.
Section 9C of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 allows inquests to be concluded in writing, without a public hearing, if the cause of death is deemed clear and uncontested. However, the growing reliance on this method has sparked fears that it is being used to quietly clear Senior Coroner Caroline Sumeray’s mounting backlog, rather than in the public interest.
Bereaved families have previously been told that full inquests would be held, with delays blamed on issues such as court availability and staffing shortages. But in some cases, those same inquests are now being signed off in writing with no clear explanation as to what has changed – and in some instances, without the families being notified in advance. This has raised further concerns about transparency and accountability within the Isle of Wight’s coronial process.
Despite these sudden closures, a significant backlog remains. Island Echo’s sources say that more than 200 inquest files are fully prepared and could have been brought before public hearings long ago, providing grieving families with much-needed closure. Instead, many of those cases remain in limbo – some having been ready within just 6 months of the death being reported, as they should be.
As of 2024, a total of 414 inquests remained open, of which 25% (102) were more than 2 years old and 42% (173) were more than 12 months old.
Joe Robertson, MP for Isle of Wight East, has raised concerns about the use of Section 9C and is now bringing the matter to the attention of the Chief Coroner.
He says:
“It has become obvious that an increasing number of coroner cases are being dealt with via a shorter “section 9c” process which means there is no hearing or jury involved in the decision making about cause of death.
Article continues below this advertisement “I have heard from a number of families who were told by the Coroner at the time of death of their loved one that the case had complexity and would likely involve a lengthy hearing with witnesses. Since pressure has been put on the Coroner to tackle the backlog some of those families have found that their long outstanding cases have suddenly been dealt with in writing without them having the opportunity to respond at a hearing. In some cases they were not even told that the case was being decided in this way and they have first read about it in the local press.
“There is a strict set of legal considerations the Coroner must apply before deciding whether a case can be dealt with in writing (via section 9C) and tackling a backlog she has allowed to get out of control is not one of them.
“Cases should be dealt with as swiftly as possible, but that must not involve cutting corners or risk justice not being done for grieving families. This is the concern that some families that I have spoken to have.”
Island Echo has expressed concerns about the state of the Coroner’s Office for some time and even considered lodging a formal complaint with the Chief Coroner jointly with other local publications. But the turning point came back in June during the State of the Island debate, jointly hosted by Island Echo and the Isle of Wight Observer, when senior officials publicly stated for the first time that the Coroner’s service is ‘not fit for purpose’.
That admission opened the floodgates, at last. Too many people were too scared to say anything before. In the weeks that followed, a string of revelations emerged – including confirmation in July that the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office (JCIO) had taken formal disciplinary action against Senior Coroner Caroline Sumeray over extreme delays.
As of today, Island Echo holds a list of more than 90 inquest cases of interest where outcomes are still awaited. However, in many instances, even the most basic details remain unknown. Until recently, inquest openings were not publicly advertised, meaning the press were not notified or able to attend these important first hearings. As a result, some cases were effectively opened in private, leaving gaps in the public record.
Among the unresolved cases is the body of a man found on the beach in Ryde on 3rd February 2021. To this day, his name and age have not been disclosed. In another case, a woman in her 70s died in potentially suspicious circumstances in Cowes in March 2023, yet no public hearing has been held. The body of a man discovered in a field in Northwood in January 2024 is also still unexplained.
Who are these individuals, what happened to them, and why are their cases still waiting for answers?
Now, with so many cases being concluded under Section 9C rules and in light of the issues mentioned above, reporters are having difficulty identifying cases of interest, often just about cross-referencing limited public notices and source information to determine whether cases of public interest are quietly being closed.
Things have improved in 2025, aided by the recruitment of new staff to replace those who have left, but there is still a long way to go…
Seems like one of those cases of the chief coroner being promoted through the ranks because she was good at what she was doing to start with, then promoted again, good at that job as well, promoted again, absolutely useless at that one, better leave her there, when she should have been demoted. The same as what has happened with the current PM.
Got to ask, why is she still there?
This woman is totally incompetent, why hasn’t she been replaced?
Is the solution not obvious. Move the current Coroner on – she has lost all credibility. Appoint a new one and putin a team of coroners short term to clear up the backlog.
This is a disgrace, she is not fit for the job, she hasn’t even apologised for the long unnecessary delays, why hasn’t she been sacked ? Arrogance & unacceptable. If an inquest is called for, that gives some closure for the families in an unnatural death, not paperwork in an office stacked up.