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:
Alison Evans - 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 September 2025 | Town Hall, Hereford | Ellie Amelia Rose Barton | 1 day | Investigation |
| 3 September 2025 | Town Hall, Hereford | Jessica Emma Reed | 27 years | Investigation |
| 4 September 2025 | Town Hall, Hereford | Diane Eileen Clements | 74 years | Investigation |
| 8 September 2025 | Town Hall, Hereford | Terry Ingram | 51 years | Investigation |
| 8 September 2025 | Town Hall, Hereford | Dorothy Moril Baddeley | 94 years | Inquest |
| 8 September 2025 | Town Hall, Hereford | Muriel Alice Alcock | 99 years | Inquest |
| 12 September 2025 | Town Hall, Hereford | Meredith Walker | 81 years | Inquest |
| 12 September 2025 | Town Hall, Hereford | Duncan Edward Abrams | 66 years | Inquest |
| 17 September 2025 | Town Hall, Hereford | Joyce Eva Mills | 100 years | Inquest |
| 17 September 2025 | Town Hall, Hereford | Sydney William George Stokes | 88 years | Inquest |
| 17 September 2025 | Town Hall, Hereford | Kacper Gawron | 20 years | Inquest |
| 17 September 2025 | Town Hall, Hereford | Kenneth Phillips | 77 years | Inquest |
| 17 September 2025 | Town Hall, Hereford | Arran Clifford Eacott | 41 years | Inquest |
| 18 September 2025 | Town Hall, Hereford | Anthony Norman Sparrow | 39 years | Investigation |
| 22 September 2025 | Town Hall, Hereford | Hilary Margaret Walters | 76 years | Investigation |
| 22 September 2025 | Town Hall, Hereford | Doreen May Wilson | 93 years | Inquest |
| 24 September 2025 | Town Hall, Hereford | James Plumridge | 22 years | Inquest |
| 1 October 2025 | Town Hall, Hereford | Joab Dean Smith | 39 years | Investigation |
| 1 October 2025 | Town Hall, Hereford | Joan Elizabeth Byard | 82 years | Inquest |
| 1 October 2025 | Town Hall, Hereford | Margaret Rose Liles | 86 years | Inquest |
| 1 October 2025 | Town Hall, Hereford | Joseph Matthew Packeer | 84 years | Inquest |
| 8 October 2025 | Town Hall, Hereford | Kieran John Kenneth Coultas | 25 years | Investigation |
| 8 October 2025 | Town Hall, Hereford | Owen Alan Evitts | 53 years | Inquest |
| 8 October 2025 | Town Hall, Hereford | Laila Soobhany | 45 years | Inquest |
| 8 October 2025 | Town Hall, Hereford | Stuart James Davies | 40 years | Inquest |
Inquest and pre-inquest review hearings
| Date | Time | Venue | Name of deceased | Age at death | Place of death | Coroner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 October 2025 | 9am | Town Hall, Hereford | Lorna Pitt | 53 years | Leominster | James Bennett |
| 15 October 2025 | 9am | Town Hall, Hereford | Lynda Jeanette Marston | 67 years | Hereford | James Bennett |
| 15 October 2025 | 9am | Town Hall, Hereford | Ilse Viola Landon | 94 years | County Hospital, Hereford | James Bennett |
| 15 October 2025 | 9.30am | Town Hall, Hereford | Penelope Mary Hoare | 76 years | County Hospital, Hereford | James Bennett |
| 15 October 2025 | 9.30am | Town Hall, Hereford | George Patrick Proctor | 96 years | Hereford | James Bennett |
| 15 October 2025 | 10am | Town Hall, Hereford | Adam Lee Selway | 31 years | Ross-on-Wye | James Bennett |
| 15 October 2025 | 10.30am | Town Hall, Hereford | Ricky Dean Mapp | 30 years | Leominster | James Bennett |
| 29 October 2025 | 10am | Town Hall, Hereford | Lucy Elizabeth Butler | 46 years | County Hospital, Hereford | James Bennett |
| 5 November 2025 | 11am | Town Hall, Hereford | David Morgan Rees | 67 years | Kington | James Bennett |
| 10 November 2025 | 10am | Town Hall, Hereford | Stuart Henry McKenzie | 56 years | County Hospital, Hereford | James Bennett |
| 17 November 2025 | 10am | Town Hall, Hereford | John William Millar Dent | 91 years | County Hospital, Hereford | James Bennett |
| 19 November 2025 | 10am | Town Hall, Hereford | Christopher Charles Draper | 82 years | County Hospital, Hereford | James Bennett |
| 24 November 2025 | 10am | Town Hall, Hereford | Christopher Colin Short | 42 years | Hereford | Roland J Wooderson |
| 3 December 2025 | 10am | Town Hall, Hereford | Michael Davies | 27 years | Hereford | James Bennett |
| 5 December 2025 | 10am | Town Hall, Hereford | Nicholas Michael Walsh | 49 years | Herefordshire | James Bennett |
| 8 December 2025 | 10am | Town Hall, Hereford | Terence Reginald Davis | 79 years | County Hospital, Hereford | James Bennett |
| 10 December 2025 | 10am | Town Hall, Hereford | Philip Charles Pearce | 67 years | Herefordshire | James Bennett |
| 12 December 2025 | 10am | Town Hall, Hereford | Laura Debra Harvey | 44 years | Ross-on-Wye | James Bennett |
| 12 December 2025 | 10am | Town Hall, Hereford | Theresa Harvey | 68 years | Ross-on-Wye | James Bennett |
| 15 December 2025 | 11am | Town Hall, Hereford | Natasha Jade Ashby - Pre Inquest Review Hearing |
21 years | Hereford | James Bennett |
| 17 December 2025 | 10am | Town Hall, Hereford | Malcolm Richard Jay | 76 years | Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham | James Bennett |
| 19 December 2025 | 10am | Town Hall, Hereford | Gavin Antony Pugh | 44 years | Hereford | James Bennett |
| 7 January 2026 | 10am | Town Hall, Hereford | Stephen John Pinches | 54 years | County Hospital, Hereford | James Bennett |
| 12 January 2026 | 10am | Town Hall, Hereford | Meredith Walker | 81 years | County Hospital, Hereford | James Bennett |
| 14 January 2026 | 10am | Town Hall, Hereford | Kacper Gawron | 20 years | Hereford | James Bennett |
| 14 January 2026 | 2pm | Town Hall, Hereford | Kenneth Mark Phillips | 77 years | County Hospital, Hereford | James Bennett |
| 19 January 2026 | 10am | Town Hall, Hereford | Arran Eacott | 41 years | County Hospital, Hereford | James Bennett |
| 21 January 2026 | 10am | Town Hall, Hereford | James Plumridge | 22 years | Hereford | James Bennett |
| 4 February 2026 | 10am | Town Hall, Hereford | Owen Alan Evitts | 53 years | Kington | 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 |
|---|---|---|