In the Media

Shipman case spurs inquest shake-up

PUBLISHED March 15, 2004
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Deaths will have to be certified by two doctors and the traditional verdict of suicide will vanish in an overhaul of the coroners' court system designed to prevent another Shipman-style killing spree.

The court network, which dates back to the 19th century, will be replaced by a streamlined system run by trained lawyers drawing on teams with medical expertise. Coroners will have the power to remove documents from premises, such as doctors' surgeries, hospitals or private companies, to investigate the background to a death.

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