Originally Posted by
DaveReidUK
Which of the alternative verdicts available to a Coroner do you think she should have delivered ?
Dave, I think 'open' is perhaps the obvious one, given her court being denied sufficient evidence. She was in a very difficult position, as she knew of the serious failings exposed by the AAIB. Her finding might initially please the bereaved, but they'll soon be frustrated. I'd hazard a guess the underlying failings have not been explained to them in any detail. A quirk of our legal system that allows the entire population to read the evidence, yet not allow it heard in court.
But discussing only the final act, in the face of accepted evidence the aircraft should not have flown, flies in the face of all proper investigative protocols and natural justice. As I said, the aims of the Inquest could not be met, therefore the entire process was tainted. I suppose she could have followed the lead of (for example) the previous NW Wales Coroner, by simply refusing to hold a mandatory Inquest. The Chief Coroner allowed that, so why not here? Politics I'm afraid.