By Isle of Wight Observer
The Isle of Wight Coroner, Caroline Sumeray is refusing to provide information over a sudden and unexplained change in how inquests are being handled – specifically, the use of a process known as a “9C inquest,” which bypasses public hearings entirely.
By law, coroners must hold inquests in cases where the cause of death is unknown, where the death was violent or unnatural, or where the individual died in custody of the state. In addition, inquests can be held if there is suspicion of a non-natural death or if it is deemed to be in the public interest – even when the cause of death is known to be natural.
However, following a recent finding of misconduct against Ms Sumeray by the Judicial Conduct Investigation Office there has been an unexplained and large increase in the use of 9C inquests. This process allows the coroner to reach a conclusion based solely on written documentation, with no public hearing, no witness testimony, and no opportunity for families to ask questions in person. While 9C inquests are intended to reduce paperwork and delays for bereaved families, the sudden and widespread use of them for long-overdue cases raises serious concerns.
Currently, a total of 14 inquests are listed on the Isle of Wight Council’s website. All of them are to be held under the 9C process, no full inquest hearing dates are listed. The earliest dates back to a death in November 2022, this is despite the legal expectation that inquests should be held within six months of the date of death. The absence of full hearings shows that cases previously deemed to require full investigation have now been quietly reclassified.
For many families who have waited months – or even years – for answers, the decision to move to written inquests is deeply troubling. The IW Observer previously reported on Mo Gibson of Sandown who’s partner Nichola Merrick died in April 2023. He was originally told that the inquest Nichola’s death could take five days and may require a jury. Last month a 9C inquest was held instead. The documentation subsequently received was a standard form containing just nine words about the individual circumstances and cause of Nichola’s death. He said: “It has just been one shock after another and for most of the family, this has all become a hurtful blur of failures and false expectations.”
The question now being asked by bereaved families is whether the 9C process is being used appropriately – or simply to clear a backlog of cases without proper scrutiny. If so many deaths never required full inquests, why were they listed for them in the first place? And if they did, what has changed? Families have been left in limbo for years – only to find that the promised investigation is simply a standard form completed with just a few words about the circumstances in which they lost their loved ones.
Either way, the coroner has yet to provide any explanation. The IW Observer submitted a formal request for comment on August 21 and has followed up multiple times, but no response has been received to date.
At a meeting held on Saturday for bereaved families, this issue – among others – was raised by a number of those attending. Both the Island’s MPs, Joe Robertson (IW East) and Richard Quigley (IW West) were present and heard heartbreaking accounts of the stress, pain, and financial hardship caused by the long delays in inquest hearings.
The IW Coroner is paid up to £144,000 to deliver justice, transparency, and accountability for unexplained or unnatural deaths. That responsibility now appears to have been abandoned for administrative convenience – simply because Ms Sumeray allowed a massive backlog to build up.
Mr Robertson said: “The backlog of cases in the Isle of Wight coroner’s service is the worst in the country, causing pain and distress to too many families, some of whom have waited years for answers. The sudden shift to written-only inquests without explanation in many cases is unacceptable. Families deserve transparency, not silence.” He added that he is writing to the coroner formally and will be following the issue up.
