 |
Criminal Justice Division |
 |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
| |
|
 |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
| Coroner's Court |
 |
|
 |
|
|
| |
| |
The Coroners' Court holds inquiries when there is reason to suspect that a person has died:
| • |
in sudden or unnatural manner; or |
| • |
by violence; or |
| • |
when the cause of death is unknown and in situations where the law requires an inquiry. |
|
|
|
| |
The Coroner is a Judge of the Subordinate Courts. With the help of the Police, the Coroner will conduct investigations into the circumstances in which the deceased died. |
|
|
| |
Cases in which death is sudden or is suspected to be by unnatural means will be classified by the Police as Coroner's cases. Examples of these cases are suspected suicide, road traffic and industrial accidents, and death in prison. Where death appears peaceful but the cause of death is not known, the Police will also classify the case as a Coroners' case. |
|
|
| |
If your next-of-kin dies at home
| • |
You should inform the police. The Police will then visit your home and conduct investigations to decide whether the case should be referred to the Coroner. |
| • |
If the death appears peaceful and if the deceased has been receiving medical treatment from a doctor, you may ask the doctor to visit your home. If the doctor is satisfied that the deceased had died from a natural causes, he may sign a death certificate for the deceased. |
If your next-of-kin dies in hospital
| • |
If the deceased has been ill and has been receiving medical treatment from a hospital, the doctors at the hospital may sign a death certificate for the deceased if they are satisfied that the cause of death is natural. |
| • |
However, if the doctors are not satisfied that the cause of death is natural, or if they are unable to determine the cause of death, they will refer to the case to the Coroner. |
|
|
|
| |
Mentions will be conducted before the actual Coroners' Inquiry in every case. Where necessary, Pre-Inquiry Conferences are also held where the Coroner will speak to the Next-of-Kin and other involved parties to arrive at a better understanding of the circumstances surrounding the death of the deceased in preparation of the Coroner's Inquiry. During the Coroners' Inquiry, the Coroner will listen to the evidence of witnesses. At the end of the inquiry, he will record a verdict.
Common verdicts are:
| • |
Suicide: A suicide verdict is recorded when the Coroner is satisfied that the deceased intended to and did take his/her own life. |
| • |
Misadventure: A misadventure verdict is recorded when the death resulted from an accident caused by the deceased's own fault or by events beyond human control. |
| • |
Open Verdict: An open verdict is recorded if the circumstances in which death occurred are not clear. |
|
|
|
| |
The deceased's body will be brought to the Mortuary@HSA, Centre for Forensic Medicine at Outram Road, Singapore 169608. The Police will inform you when you are to be present at the mortuary to identify your Next-of-Kin's body to the Coroner. The Coroner will then decide whether an autopsy should be performed on the deceased. If no autopsy is to be performed, you can claim the deceased's body. If an autopsy is to be carried out, you will be informed by the Police when you can claim the deceased's body. |
|
|
| |
An autopsy is an operation which is conducted by a forensic pathologist. Its purpose is to enable the Coroner to find out the cause of death. |
|
|
| |
No. The Coroners' decision is final. He makes that decision carefully and based on all evidence presented to him, including evidence presented by the deceased's family. |
|
|
| |
Yes.
The Police will inform you of the date and time of the Coroners' Inquiry. As the next-of-kin of the deceased, you may attend the inquiry. |
|
|
| |
Where one or more persons is directly or indirectly responsible for causing the death of the deceased, the State may at any time name one or more persons as Potential Defendant(s) before the verdict of the court is given. As a Potential Defendant, it is possible that the court may rule that the death of the deceased was “DEATH DUE TO THE NEGLIGENT ACT OF THE POTENTIAL DEFENDANT(S)”.
To assist the Potential Defendant at the inquiry, he may engage a counsel of his choice to hold a watching brief.
Where there is a Potential Defendant named, a caution under section 290 of the Criminal Procedure Code* will be administered to the Potential Defendant. He can choose to give evidence or remain silent. If he elects to give evidence, the evidence will be given under oath and recorded down in writing. The Potential Defendant has the opportunity to cross-examine each witness produced against him, including the medical doctor who made a post-mortem examination of the deceased, as well as to produce witnesses in his defence. The Potential Defendant will also be given an opportunity by the court, after all the evidence on behalf of the State has been adduced, to give evidence on his own behalf. If he so wishes, the court will record his statement. It is only after all the evidence and the statement or evidence of the Potential Defendant are recorded, that the court delivers its findings based on the evidence.
In a Coroner’s Inquiry, even if the Potential Defendant elects to remain silent, no adverse inference will be drawn against him for those proceedings.
Where the court rules that the death was caused by the Potential Defendant’s negligence, the court must be satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that the Potential Defendant may be criminally negligent for causing the death of the deceased. Subsequent to the coronial verdict, the records are sent to the Attorney-General’s Chambers and it is left to the discretion of the Public Prosecutor to decide on whether to press criminal charges. Besides possible criminal prosecution, the Potential Defendant may also face civil litigation for damages from the deceased’s personal representatives.
*Section 290 of the Criminal Procedure Code, Chapter 68 states:
Statement of accused person.
290. —(1) After the evidence on behalf of the prosecution is closed the Coroner in the event of any accused person being present shall say to him these words or words to the like effect:
“Having heard the evidence do you wish to say anything? You are not obliged to say anything unless you desire to do so; but whatever you do say will be taken down in writing and may be given in evidence in subsequent proceedings”.
(2) The statement of the Coroner to the accused or the effect of it and any statement made by the accused or evidence given by him shall be recorded by the Coroner as part of the depositions and shall be transmitted with them as hereinafter mentioned. |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|