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Births, marriages, deaths

Coroner's role

The Liverpool and Wirral Coroner Service is a court service which looks into someone’s death if their body is within the Liverpool and Wirral area, and either:

  • the cause of death is unknown
  • the death was violent or unnatural
  • the person died in prison, police custody or other state detention.

The police, hospital doctors, individual GPs and care homes will refer a death to the Coroner, where necessary. Doctors have a duty to refer deaths which may require a coroner's investigation.

Registrars also report deaths to the Coroner if a doctor has incorrectly completed a medical certificate that should have been referred to the Coroner in the first instance.

Liverpool and Wirral councils fund the service, but the Coroners are independent judges.

His Majesty’s Senior Coroner for the Liverpool and Wirral Coroner Area is Mr André Rebello.

The other full-time judge is His Majesty's Area Coroner, Ms Anita Bhardwaj.

Coroner's investigation officers

Investigation officers work under the judicial direction of coroners independent of their employer. 

They are responsible for providing information to the coroner and will be the main point of contact for the deceased's family.

They will gather information from the family, the police, doctors, mortuary staff, hospital bereavement staff and funeral directors. They will also get information and documents from those who may have been involved in the death, such as witnesses, or those a coroner decides is an ‘interested person’ in the investigation.

The coroner’s officers are Merseyside Police staff with the administration staff employed by Liverpool City Council. However, all court staff work to the direction of the court, not their employers. This is an important safeguard to uphold the interests of fairness and justice to uphold the rule of law.

Read our privacy notice which tells you how we use your data.

Liverpool Bereavement Guide

Liverpool Registration Service has produced the Liverpool Bereavement Guide to help you access the information you need to help you through your bereavement, including organisations you might like to contact for support.