Inquests are heard at HM Coroner's Courts, City Hall, Plater Way, Sunderland by His Majesty’s Senior Coroner David Place, unless otherwise stated.
By virtue of section 9C Coroners and Justice Act 2009 some Inquests may be dealt with in writing (i.e. without a hearing in court) unless representations are made by email to coroner@sunderland.gov.uk no later than midday the day before the date shown in the list.
HM Senior Coroner may permit remote participation and/or observation in which case the warnings referred to in the Chief Coroner’s Guidance No. 42 on Remote Hearings will apply. Practice Guidance on Remote Observation of Hearings issued by the Courts and Tribunals Judiciary can be found here.
Attendance at Sunderland Coroner’s Court is assisted by volunteers from the Coroners' Courts Support Service. Please visit https://coronerscourtssupportservice.org.uk/ for further information or call 0300 111 2141 for their telephone support service.
If you have any queries about listings, please email coroner@sunderland.gov.uk.
| Hearing Date | Time | Inquest held | Type of Inquest Hearing | Name of Deceased | Age | Date of Death | Place of Death | Coroner's Officer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday 13th October 2026 | 10:00 | in Court 1 | Final – to be heard by His Majesty's Assistant Coroner Abigail Combes | Ayla Anne Allisia Robe (Day 1 of 2) | 0 days | 02/04/2025 | Hospital, Sunderland | Vicky Ross |
| Wednesday 14th October 2026 | 10:00 | in Court 1 | Final – to be heard by His Majesty's Assistant Coroner Abigail Combes | Ayla Anne Allisia Robe (Day 2 of 2) | 0 days | 02/04/2025 | Hospital, Sunderland | Vicky Ross |
| Friday 16th October 2026 | 10:00 | in Court 2 | Final | Gordon Tarn | 90 years | 22/09/2026 | Hospital, Sunderland | Lily Hunter |
| Tuesday 20th October 2026 | 10:00 | in Court 1 | Pre Inquest Review | Peter Graham | 53 years | 17/02/2026 | Sunderland | Vicky Ross |
| Tuesday 20th October 2026 | 10:30 | in Court 1 | Final | Thomas Cleghorn | 36 years | 12/06/2026 | Sunderland, Tyne and Wear | Lily Hunter |
| Tuesday 20th October 2026 | 11:00 | in Court 1 | Final | Brian Leslie Hall | 89 years | 20/08/2026 | Hospital, Sunderland | Vicky Ross |
| Tuesday 20th October 2026 | 11:30 | in Court 1 | Final | Christopher Shergold | 39 years | 07/07/2026 | Sunderland | Alison Leonard |
| Thursday 22nd October 2026 | 10:00 | in Court 1 | Final | Joan Whittle (Day 1 of 2) | 79 years | 15/02/2026 | Hospital, Sunderland | Lily Hunter |
| Friday 23rd October 2026 | 10:00 | in Court 1 | Final | Joan Whittle (Day 2 of 2) | 79 years | 15/02/2026 | Hospital, Sunderland | Lily Hunter |
| Monday 26th October 2026 | 10:30 | in Court 1 | Opening | Alicia Kathleen Rose Purnell | 12 years | 02/10/2026 | Sunderland | Andrew Weighill |
| Tuesday 27th October 2026 | 10:00 | in Court 1 | Final | Iain Blenkinsop | 51 | 29/06/2026 | Sunderland | Alex Thomas |
| Tuesday 27th October 2026 | 11:00 | in Court 1 | Final | Natalie Frances Murphy | 38 years | 26/06/2026 | Sunderland | Alex Thomas |
| Tuesday 27th October 2026 | 12:00 | in Court 1 | Final | Steven Snowdon | 19 years | 17/02/2026 | Houghton le Spring | Alison Leonard |
| Tuesday 27th October 2026 | 14:00 | in Court 1 | Final | Alfred Stanley Steel | 85 years | 24/09/2026 | Hospital, Sunderland | Leaza Wallace |
| Tuesday 27th October 2026 | 15:00 | in Court 2 | Final | Linara Petreikiene | 53 years | 03/07/2026 | Hetton le Hole | Leaza Wallace |
| Wednesday 28th October 2026 | 10:00 | in Court 1 | Final | Anita Horne | 72 years | 21/07/2026 | Hospital Sunderland | Alison Leonard |
| Wednesday 28th October 2026 | 10:30 | in Court 1 | Final | Michael Philip Horne | 78 years | 18/07/2026 | Sunderland | Alison Leonard |
| Wednesday 28th October 2026 | 12:00 | in Court 1 | Pre Inquest Review | Jean Prudhoe | 87 years | 19/12/2025 | Hospital, Sunderland | Leaza Wallace |
| Wednesday 28th October 2026 | 15:00 | in Court 1 | Final | James Harvey | 84 years | 06/10/2026 | Hospital, Sunderland | Leaza Wallace |
| Friday 30th October 2026 | 10:00 | in Court 1 | Final | Colin Carter | 63 years | 18/07/2026 | Hetton-le-Hole | Alex Thomas |
| Friday 30th October 2026 | 11:00 | in Court 1 | Final | Gary David Ronald | 34 years | 09/09/2026 | Hospital, Sunderland | Alex Thomas |
| Friday 30th October 2026 | 12:00 | in Court 1 | Opening | Dean Fishwick | 51 years | 24/09/2026 | County Durham | Lily Hunter |
| Monday 2nd November 2026 | 10:00 | in Court 1 | Final | Terry Lee Eric Sinclair | 30 years | 09/10/2025 | Hospital, Sunderland | Alison Leonard |
| Tuesday 3rd November 2026 | 10:00 | in Court 1 | Final – to be heard by His Majesty's Assistant Coroner Laura Hopkinson | Terry Lee Eric Sinclair | 30 years | 09/10/2025 | Hospital, Sunderland | Alison Leonard |
| Wednesday 4th November 2026 | 14:30 | in Court 1 | Final – to be heard by His Majesty's Assistant Coroner Laura Hopkinson | Daren Taylor | 45 years | 19/06/2026 | Sunderland | Alex Thomas |
| Thursday 5th November 2026 | 12:00 | in Court 1 | Final – to be heard by His Majesty's Assistant Coroner Laura Hopkinson | John Batey | 77 years | 01/02/2026 | Hospital, Sunderland | Leaza Wallace |
| Friday 6th November 2026 | 10:00 | in Court 1 | Final | Paul Andrew Fulcher | 53 years | 25/04/2025 | Hospital Sunderland | Alison Leonard |
| Friday 6th November 2026 | 10:30 | in Court 1 | Pre Inquest Review – to be heard by His Majesty's Assistant Coroner Laura Hopkinson | Chelsea Peverley | 27 years | 19/05/2026 | Hospital, Sunderland | Leaza Wallace |
| Friday 6th November 2026 | 13:30 | in Court 1 | Final | Ashley Dixon | 42 years | 20/05/2026 | Sunderland, Tyne and Wear | Lily Hunter |
| Friday 6th November 2026 | 14:30 | in Court 1 | Opening – to be heard by His Majesty's Assistant Coroner Laura Hopkinson | Colin Hall | 77 years | 03/10/2026 | Hospital, Sunderland | Alex Thomas |
| Tuesday 10th November 2026 | 10:00 | in Court 1 | Final | Lewis Malcolm Nicholson | 39 years | 08/07/2026 | Houghton le Spring | Andrew Weighill |
| Tuesday 10th November 2026 | 14:00 | in Court 1 | Pre Inquest Review | Patricia Judith Hurst | 85 years | 16/06/2026 | Sunderland | Leaza Wallace |
| Monday 16th November 2026 | 10:00 | in Court 1 | Pre Inquest Review – to be heard by His Majesty's Assistant Coroner Abigail Combes | Christopher Jeffrey Davies | 34 years | 04/03/2026 | Washington, Tyne and Wear | Alison Leonard |
| Monday 16th November 2026 | 10:30 | in Court 1 | Final – to be heard by His Majesty's Assistant Coroner Abigail Combes | Jennifer Pearce | 77 years | 31/10/2025 | Sunderland, Tyne and Wear | Lily Hunter |
| Monday 16th November 2026 | 13:30 | in Court 1 | Pre Inquest Review – to be heard by His Majesty's Assistant Coroner Abigail Combes | Violet Downing | 73 years | 29/01/2026 | Hospital, Sunderland | Lily Hunter |
| Monday 16th November 2026 | 15:00 | in Court 1 | Pre Inquest Review – to be heard by His Majesty's Assistant Coroner Abigail Combes | Violet Grand | 78 years | 10/01/2026 | Hospital Sunderland | Alison Leonard |
| Tuesday 24th November 2026 | 12:00 | in Court 1 | Final | David Alexander Fryer | 87 years | 26/07/2026 | Hospital, Sunderland | Alex Thomas |
| Tuesday 24th November 2026 | 14:30 | in Court 1 | Final | Gordon Trewhitt | 92 years | 21/07/2026 | Hospital, Sunderland | Alex Thomas |
| Tuesday 24th November 2026 | 15:30 | in Court 1 | Final | Thomas Alexander Phillips | 41 years | 21/07/2026 | Washington, Tyne and Wear | Alex Thomas |
| Wednesday 25th November 2026 | 10:00 | in Court 1 | Final | Alan Copeland | 64 years | 20/06/2022 | Sunderland | Andrew Weighill |
| Wednesday 25th November 2026 | 12:00 | in Court 1 | Final | Thomas Barry Dugdale | 85 years | 01/08/2026 | Hospital Sunderland | Andrew Weighill |
| Wednesday 25th November 2026 | 14:30 | in Court 1 | Final | Peter Edward Frank Steed | 90 years | 10/08/2026 | Sunderland | Alex Thomas |
| Thursday 3rd December 2026 | 10:00 | in Court 1 | Final | Jean Prudhoe Day 1 of 2 | 87 years | 19/12/2025 | Hospital, Sunderland | Leaza Wallace |
| Friday 4th December 2026 | 10:00 | in Court 1 | Final | Jean Prudhoe Day 2 of 2 | 87 years | 19/12/2025 | Hospital, Sunderland | Leaza Wallace |
| Wednesday 16th December 2026 | 10:00 | in Court 1 | Pre Inquest Review | David Firth | 49 years | 30/07/2025 | Houghton Le Spring | Alison Leonard |
| Thursday 17th December 2026 | 10:00 | in Court 1 | Pre Inquest Review | Dominic Craig Middlemas | 23 years | 12/07/2022 | Hospital Sunderland | Alison Leonard |
| Thursday 17th December 2026 | 11:00 | in Court 1 | Pre Inquest Review | Marlow Raine Ames | 2 years | 24/04/2025 | Hospital, Newcastle | Andrew Weighill |
| Wednesday 6th January 2027 | 10:00 | in Court 1 | Final | Colin Hall | 77 years | 03/10/2026 | Hospital, Sunderland | Alex Thomas |
| Friday 15th January 2027 | 10:00 | in Court 1 | Final | Alyson Chisholm | 56 years | 10/08/2024 | Hospital, Sunderland | Lily Hunter |
| Wednesday 3rd February 2027 | 10:00 | in Court 1 | Final | Christopher Jeffrey Davies | 34 years | 26/03/2004 | Washington | Alison Leonard |
| Thursday 4th February 2027 | 10:00 | in Court 1 | Final | Christopher Jeffrey Davies Day Two | 34 years | 26/03/2004 | Washington | Alison Leonard |
| Wednesday 17th February 2027 | 10:00 | in Court 1 | Final | David Anthony Reed | 51 yrs | 11/09/2026 | Sunderland | Andrew Weighill |
| Wednesday 17th February 2027 | 11:00 | in Court 1 | Final | Ryan Head | 32 years | 21/09/2026 | Hospital, Newcastle | Andrew Weighill |
| Monday 1st March 2027 | 10:00 | in Court 1 | Final | Sarah Elizabeth Taylor | 88 years | 31/05/2025 | Sunderland | Alison Leonard |
| Friday 16th April 2027 | 10:00 | in Court 1 | Final | Dean Fishwick | 51 years | 24/09/2026 | County Durham | Lily Hunter |