When a person dies suddenly or in an unexplained manner, the case will be referred to the office of the Coroner. There, the death will be investigated to determine the medical cause and any contributing circumstances.
Witnesses, medical experts, family members, and persons of interest may all be called on to give evidence to aid the investigation. In some cases there will be an inquest, a public hearing of the evidence. Although the Coroner's Court is part of the Justice system, it's not a criminal court.
As well as clarifying the cause of a death, the coronial process seeks to prevent similar deaths in future. Recommendations are made by the coroner to this end, and must be considered by the relevant government agencies. For example, after a large number of high-speed police pursuits resulted in the deaths of drivers being pursued, recommendations were made to change the way police chases are conducted.
Hugh Dillon retired from his roles as a NSW Deputy State Coroner and magistrate in 2016. He was deeply engaged by his coronial work, and co-authored several important texts.
He is now an Adjunct Professor at the UNSW Law School, as well as undertaking a PhD.
Through his current work, Hugh is driven to improve the coronial system for bereaved families.
Further information
Hugh Dillon is co-author of Waller’s Coronial Law and Practice in New South Wales (4th ed, 2010), The Australasian Coroner’s Manual (2015) and editor of Advocacy and Judging: Selected Papers of Murray Gleeson (2017).