Narrative Verdict
An inquest conclusion in which the coroner or jury records a brief, neutral factual statement of the circumstances of the death, rather than (or in addition to) selecting one of the standard short-form conclusions.
Independent editorial summary — not the official statute text. Read the official version on legislation.gov.uk.
Some deaths cannot be adequately captured by a single word or short-form label like 'accident' or 'natural causes', and the law allows coroners to instead write a short factual narrative of how the death came about. The Chief Coroner's Guidance No.17 confirms there are 'two alternatives for conclusions which are sanctioned by the 2009 Act, the 2013 Rules and the common law: (1) a short-form conclusion; and (2) a narrative conclusion', and that 'it is also permissible to combine the two types of conclusion' — for example, recording a short-form conclusion alongside a brief narrative.
A narrative conclusion has to stay within strict limits on tone and content: in a non-Article 2 case (that is, where the state's enhanced investigative duty under the right to life is not engaged), the Guidance requires it to 'be a brief, neutral, factual statement' that avoids expressing any judgment on criminal or civil liability. Where the answers to 'how, when and where' the person died are clear, the Guidance suggests recording the mechanism of death under 'how' and reserving the wider circumstances for the narrative conclusion itself.
Related terms
Official sources
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