View deaths referred to the Coroner, inquest hearings and conclusions
The role of the Coroner is to investigate and record the causes and circumstances of all sudden deaths where the cause is:
- Not known or
- Violent or
- Unnatural or
- Occurred when the deceased was in custody
The Coroner is an independent judicial officer.
Herefordshire Coroner's Service
The Herefordshire Coroner is James Bennett.
The Assistant Coroners are Roland JT Wooderson and Lindsey Tonks.
They are supported by:
Coroner's Clerk
- Administrative support is available on email coroners@herefordshire.gov.uk or telephone 01432 261813.
Administrative support is available to the public during the following hours:
Monday to Friday 8.30am - 12.30pm
The Coroner's Officers are contactable Monday to Friday 8.30am – 3.30pm by telephone on 01432 261806 or by email at the following addresses:
Jackie James - Coroner's Officer
Ceri Barnes - Coroner's Officer
Sarah Sentinella - Coroner's Officer
The postal address is Coroner's Office, Town Hall, St Owen Street, Hereford HR1 2PJ
Outside the hours set out above, any sudden violent or unexpected deaths may be reported through any police officer.
About the Coroner
The Herefordshire Coroner sits at the Town Hall, Hereford.
He considers deaths in Herefordshire that are reported to him. Of the 2,000 or so deaths in the county each year approximately half are referred to the Coroner for consideration, some will necessitate a post mortem.
Of the cases referred, the Coroner will typically open an inquest in 100+ cases each year.
Some inquests proceed on the basis of evidence read by the Coroner. Interested persons may seek disclosure of the evidence prior to the inquest and/or request the Coroner give consideration to the person providing the evidence attending in person.
The Coroner endeavours to establish how the deceased died. Often this will be useful in understanding whether safe procedures or practices have been followed or can be improved.
The Coroner meets regularly with representatives from business, the police and hospitals to discuss ways in which deaths can be prevented or their number reduced, frequently using the knowledge gained from the inquest process. This leads to the adoption of new practices both within organisations and in our daily lives.
The Coroner, therefore, while endeavouring to provide a compassionate service for the bereaved, very much exists for the benefit of the living.
For more information on the role of a coroner and what to expect during a coroner's investigation, see the Ministry of Justice Guide to Coroner Services (pdf).
Deaths referred to the Coroner and Inquest hearings
Details of deaths referred to the Coroner and Inquest hearings are listed below.
Inquests may be listed at short notice and may not always appear on this page. If you are expecting an inquest to be listed and it does not appear please telephone or email the Coroner's office using the contact details above.
Opening of inquests and investigations in the current and previous month
| Date | Venue | Name of deceased | Age at death | Hearing type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 December 2025 | Town Hall, Hereford | Tanith Ermintrude Ireland | 61 years | Inquest |
| 1 December 2025 | Town Hall, Hereford | Michael Colin Taylor | 76 years | Inquest |
| 2 December 2025 | Town Hall, Hereford | Karl Andrew Davidson | 58 years | Investigation |
| 8 December 2025 | Town Hall, Hereford | Daniel Edward James Kittner | 34 years | Inquest |
| 19 December 2025 | Town Hall, Hereford | Julian Michael Partridge | 69 years | Inquest |
| 7 January 2026 | Town Hall, Hereford | Yvonne Valera Pearce | 60 years | Inquest |
| 7 January 2026 | Town Hall, Hereford | Amanda Jane Jones | 67 years | Investigation |
| 7 January 2026 | Town Hall, Hereford | Benjamin Martin Michael Aquilina | 38 years | Investigation |
| 14 January 2026 | Town Hall, Hereford | Stanley Shaw | 92 years | Inquest |
Inquest and pre-inquest review hearings
| Date | Time | Venue | Name of deceased | Age at death | Place of death | Coroner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 January 2026 | 10am | Town Hall, Hereford | Anthony John Smith | 43 years | Ledbury | Lindsey Tonks |
| 19 January 2026 | 10.30am | Town Hall, Hereford | Karl Lee White | 46 years | Ledbury | Lindsey Tonks |
| 19 January 2026 | 11.30am | Town Hall, Hereford | Geoffrey Franks | 83 years | County Hospital, Hereford | Lindsey Tonks |
| 19 January 2026 | 12pm | Town Hall, Hereford | Marjorie Charlotte Johnson | 99 years | County Hospital, Hereford | Lindsey Tonks |
| 26 January 2026 | 10am | Town Hall, Hereford | Owen Alan Evitts | 53 years | Kington | James Bennett |
| 26 January 2026 | 2pm | Town Hall, Hereford | George Enoch Charles Hall | 89 years | Ross-on-Wye | Lindsey Tonks |
| 26 January 2026 | 2.30pm | Town Hall, Hereford | Andrew Ralph Kitching | 53 years | Hereford | Lindsey Tonks |
| 28 January 2026 | 10am | Town Hall, Hereford | Martin Glover | 64 years | Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham | James Bennett |
| 2 February 2026 | 10am | Town Hall, Hereford | Jean Mavis Galliers | 90 years | County Hospital, Hereford | James Bennett |
| 4 February 2026 | 10am | Town Hall, Hereford | Rosina Yates | 85 years | County Hospital, Hereford | James Bennett |
| 9 February 2026 | 10am | Town Hall, Hereford | Anna Marie Matczak | 44 years | Hereford | James Bennett |
| 9 February 2026 | 2pm | Town Hall, Hereford | Ann Christine Daw | 83 years | County Hospital, Hereford | Lindsey Tonks |
| 11 February 2026 | 10am | Town Hall, Hereford | Christopher Charles Draper | 82 years | County Hospital, Hereford | James Bennett |
| 13 February 2026 | 10am | Town Hall, Hereford | Stuart James Davies | 40 years | Hereford | James Bennett |
| 16 February 2026 | 10am | Town Hall, Hereford | Jessica Emma Reed | 27 years | Hereford | James Bennett |
| 25 February 2026 | 10am | Town Hall, Hereford | Stuart Henry McKenzie | 56 years | County Hospital, Hereford | James Bennett |
| 4 March 2026 | 10am | Town Hall, Hereford | Geoffrey Robert McGowan | 74 years | Herefordshire | James Bennett |
| 6 March 2026 | 10am | Town Hall, Hereford | Matthew Benjamin Williams | 53 years | Herefordshire | James Bennett |
| 9 March 2026 | 10am | Town Hall, Hereford | Peter William Worthington | 81 years | County Hospital, Hereford | Lindsey Tonks |
| 11 March 2026 | 10am | Town Hall, Hereford | Timothy John Sheldon Barratt | 64 years | Herefordshire | James Bennett |
| 16 – 27 March 2026 | 10am | Gardner Hall, Venns Lane, Hereford | Natasha Jade Ashby | 21 years | Hereford | James Bennett |
| 30 March 2026 | 10am | Town Hall, Hereford | Jessica Ellie Parsons | 21 years | Worcester Royal Hospital | James Bennett |
| 30 March 2026 | 2pm | Town Hall, Hereford | Ryan Douglas Pitt | 49 years | Herefordshire | James Bennett |
| 8 April 2026 | 10pm | Town Hall, Hereford | Aaron William Smith | 37 years | Hereford | James Bennett |
| 13 April 2026 | 10am | Town Hall, Hereford | Linda Cooper | 85 years | County Hospital, Hereford | James Bennett |
| 15 April 2026 | 10am | Town Hall, Hereford | Andrew Paul Lewis | 64 years | County Hospital, Hereford | James Bennett |
| 20 April 2026 | 10am | Town Hall, Hereford | Edward Harry Turner | 78 years | County Hospital, Hereford | James Bennett |
| 20 April 2026 | 2pm | Town Hall, Hereford | Kieran John Kenneth Coultas | 25 years | Hereford | James Bennett |
| 27 April 2026 | 10am | Town Hall, Hereford | Michael Colin Taylor | 76 years | St Michael's Hospice, Hereford | James Bennett |
| 29 April 2026 | 10am | Town Hall, Hereford | Tanith Ermintrude Ireland | 61 years | County Hospital, Hereford | James Bennett |
| 11 May 2026 | 10am | Town Hall, Hereford | Sean Andrew Powell | 55 years | County Hospital, Hereford | James Bennett |
| 15 May 2026 | 10am | Town Hall, Hereford | Yvonne Valera Pearce | 60 years | County Hospital, Hereford | James Bennett |
| 8 June 2026 | 10am | Town Hall, Hereford | Duncan Edward Abrams | 66 years | St Michael's Hospice, Hereford | James Bennett |
Treasure inquests
The Coroner is also responsible for inquests in connection with Treasure. Set out below are those Treasure inquests currently being considered.
| Description of find | Hearing date | Time |
|---|---|---|