About this service

HM Coroner

Coroners are judges who investigate deaths.                                                                                            His Majesty's Senior Coroner for Inner North London is Coroner ME Hassell.                      Coroner Hassell is our lead judge and head of service.

Inner North London includes a team of HM Assistant Coroners:                                                          Coroner RI Brittain                                                                                                                                Coroner E Buckett                                                                                                                                  Coroner JDP Stevens                                                                                                                            Coroner S Bourke                                                                                                                                  Coroner H Lambert                                                                                                                              Coroner A Smith

If you seek advice or information about a death that has been reported to the coroner, please contact one of the coroner's officers at either Poplar Coroner's Office (for deaths in Hackney & Tower Hamlets) or St Pancras Coroner's Office (for deaths in Camden & Islington).

We want to do our very best to help you navigate what we appreciate is likely to be a difficult process at a very painful time.  If we fall short, we are truly sorry.  If you have a complaint about our service, please address this in writing to the judicial lead and head of service, Coroner Hassell, at one of the addresses below.  Depending upon the nature of your complaint, you may receive a response from Coroner Hassell, or from her direct report and chief of staff, Mr D Jean-Baptiste.

Poplar Coroner's Court & Office (deaths in Hackney or Tower Hamlets)
127 Poplar High Street
London E14 0AE
Tel: 020 7538 1201
Email: [email protected]
View map of Poplar Coroner's Court

St Pancras Coroner’s Court & Office (deaths in Camden or Islington)
Camley Street
London N1C 4PP
Tel: 020 7974 4545
Email: [email protected] 
View map of St Pancras Coroner's Court

Offices are open Monday to Friday, excluding bank holidays:
For visits: 8am to 4pm
For phone calls: 8am to 1pm and 2pm to 3.30pm

Bow Coroner's Court (for jury inquest hearings)
Bow Road
London E3 3AA
Tel: 0207 974 3000
View map of Bow Coroner's Court

Deaths referred to the coroner

Expected deaths

If death is expected, you should contact the doctor who cared for the deceased during their illness. If the doctor knows the cause of death, they will give you:

  • a medical certificate that shows the cause of death (this is free of charge and will be addressed to the registrar)
  • a formal notice that says that the doctor has signed the medical certificate (this tells you how to register the death)

Unexpected deaths

If the person’s death is unexpected or has occurred out of hours and you discover a body, you should contact the police.  They will attend and can help find and notify the deceased’s next of kin and usual doctor.  The coroner will be notified if:

  • the cause of death is apparently unknown; or
  • the cause of death is apparently unnatural; or
  • death occurs in state custody (police, prison or mental health detention).

The coroner may decide that there needs to be a post mortem examination, and then may later open an inquest.

After a death is referred to the coroner

When a death has been referred to the coroner, the coroner’s officer will try to call the nearest relative of the deceased (whose contact details have been passed to the coroner by the police or hospital) on the working day following the referral, to explain what will happen next.  However, this is not always possible.  Sometimes demand is very high.

If you're particularly anxious to be dealt with quickly by the coroner’s office, tell the police or hospital staff who are going to refer the death, and explain why.

Registering the death

The requirement to register the death within 5 days does not apply. However, the death should still be registered as quickly as possible.  

  • If the coroner decides that the death was due to natural causes, you will need to follow the normal procedure for registering the death.
  • If a post mortem examination reveals a natural cause of death, the coroner’s office will email the appropriate document direct to the register office.
  • If an inquest is held, the coroner will send the information about the deceased direct from the court to the register office, so you do not have to register the death.

You will need to contact the register office to get certified copies of the death certificate, which are available at a set fee, details of which are available from the registrar.