Another Mock Inquest with Real Benefits: Mock Coroner’s Inquest 2026

To witness a project grow, expanding its reach and impact, is perhaps one of the most rewarding aspects of my work. In early 2025, Hodge Jones & Allen (HJA) accepted East of England Ambulance Service’s (EEAS) intriguing invitation to participate in a Mock Coroner’s Inquest co-hosted with Anglia Ruskin University. For Holly Morley, Leading Operations Manager at EEAS, the mission objective was simple: prepare her colleagues for the uncertainties and anxieties of being called to give evidence at an inquest. For Hodge Jones & Allen, our aim was equally uncomplicated: share our knowledge and offer as much insight and assistance as possible. The project was born, and legal and medical professionals gathered in Chelmsford in June 2025 to walk through a mock inquest scenario; the rest, as they say, is history.

The project was an immediate success. This unique idea to bring lawyers, paramedics, and doctors together to share each other’s knowledge about the coronial process was primed to be developed; which is why it came as no surprise that HJA and EEAS were keen to do another mock inquest this year.

A growing relationship

EEAS and HJA had already built upon what had become an extremely beneficial relationship for both parties. In October 2025, HJA hosted EEAS for a training day in which 3 Paper Building Chambers (3PB) ran sessions on drafting inquest witness statements. A large retinue of paramedics made their way up from Chelmsford to North London to share ideas, experiences, and learn more about navigating the inquest process. EEAS in return ran sessions for HJA’s staff on basic lifesaving, giving us an exciting opportunity to tour an ambulance. The day gave us a deeper, more intimate, understanding of the emergency response, and the experiences our clients are first presented with when they are involved in their life-changing accidents.

The training day brought legal and medical professionals together to share our experiences and appreciate each other’s roles in the journey that our clients must embark on when tragedy befalls them.

Preparations

Preparations for another mock inquest began around early 2026. The first mock inquest followed a case study for an emergency response involving only EEAS’s paramedics and hospital staff at Broomfield Hospital. Our aim was to build on the first inquest and increase the reach of the project to involve more practitioners. Through their close working links, EEAS invited Essex Police to participate, expanding the project to not only benefit and prepare their paramedics, but also Essex Police’s officers who are equally exposed to Coroner’s Court.

The mock inquest scenario was a complex Acute Behavioural Disturbance (ABD) call-out. ABD is a serious physiological condition characterised by extreme agitation, violent actions, profuse sweating, heavy breathing (tachypnoea), and fast heartbeat (tachycardia). Patients presenting with ABD should be considered critical cases as there is a serious risk of the patient going into cardiac arrest. Drug and alcohol consumption and mental health conditions are common causes.

Participants

The Mock Inquest required dedicated participants who were willing to take on the roles of the various professionals involved in the emergency response, police investigation, and coronial process. Having volunteered as one of the advocates last year, I was keen to utilise what I had learned previously to continue to share my legal knowledge. From my Claimant-heavy background, I elected to act for the interests of the family of the Deceased. I was joined again by my trusty partner in crime, Mandhir Seera, Solicitor, who advocated for the interests of EEAS’s and Broomfield Hospital’s respective NHS trusts; it was our responsibility to assist the Coroner with her enquiries.

Having partnered with 3PB in for our training day in October, EEAS and HJA were keen to work with them again. 3PB were thrilled to join the project, and their presence certainly elevated it to the next level. Chambers offered further valuable insight into the coronial process, with Sunyana Sharma, Barrister, Kim Wilson, Barrister, and Jordon Gallifant, Practice Manager, all joining the project. Jordon helped to coordinate 3PB’s involvement whilst Sunyana and Kim actively participated in the inquest acting as the Coroner and one of the advocates respectively.

The Mock Inquest was graced by an amazing team of practitioner volunteers: two police officers, a paramedic, an Emergency Care Assistant (ECA), a registered nurse, and a consultant who kindly agreed to take on the role of a more junior registrar. Each acted as a witness in the mock scenario and answered the questions of the Coroner and her assisting advocates. They prepared for their inquisition with admirable dedication, skill, and understanding of their roles. It was certainly an enormous benefit to have real practitioners adopting their actual professional roles.

Benefits

The Mock Inquest was presented to over 100 practitioners from the local community including Essex Police, EEAS, and Broomfield Hospital. With a discernible increase from the handful of professionals who attended back in June 2025, the sheer numbers in attendance immediately demonstrated how far this project has come. The event brought together a community of professionals who all represented major cogs in the machine for this tragic but all too familiar process.

The real benefit came from talking to each other, sharing our experiences, and recognising what roles we play on this journey. Identifying that we all hold the interests of our clients and their loved ones above all else. Personally, it was extremely gratifying to receive glowing feedback from paramedics and police officers alike, thanking the project for helping them to understand a process that they were concerned by, or unfamiliar with.

Inquest preparation has fallen through the cracks of the emergency response process, leading those compelled to appear at inquest petrified of being questioned, and unaware of what is happening and why it is happening. This amazing project has helped to put many minds at rest and inspire confidence and cooperation across the emergency services.

If you require legal advice or representation in relation to an inquest, our specialist Personal Injury team is available to assist. Please get in touch with us on 0330 822 3451 to discuss how we can support you.