Verdict (Conclusion)
The formal finding of a coroner, or an inquest jury, as to how a person died — now officially called a 'conclusion' rather than a verdict, and recorded as either a short-form or a narrative conclusion.
Independent editorial summary — not the official statute text. Read the official version on legislation.gov.uk.
Since the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 the outcome of an inquest is formally termed a 'conclusion' rather than the older word 'verdict', though the two terms are often still used interchangeably in practice. The Chief Coroner's Guidance No.17 on Conclusions explains that its purpose 'is to assist coroners in the use of short-form and narrative conclusions and with a view to achieving greater consistency across England and Wales', and confirms that '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', which may also be combined.
Whichever form is used, the standard the coroner or jury must apply is the same: the Guidance states that 'the level of certainty required when reaching conclusions at an inquest (whether those conclusions are short-form or narrative) is the same as the civil standard of proof, namely the balance of probabilities' — a lower threshold than the criminal 'beyond reasonable doubt' standard, reflecting that an inquest is a fact-finding, not accusatory, process.
Related terms
Official sources
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