James Merryweather

Credo: I Believe I believe for every drop of rain that falls a flower grows – Every? I believe that somewhere in the darkest night a candle glows – Well, yes, probably. So what? I believe for everyone who goes astray someone will come to show the way – Why do we have prisons? Which way was Cranmer shown? Captain Scott, ‘Mad’ Mike Hughes, Anne Boleyn, Peoples’ Temple, Steve Irwin?

Book critics or theatre critics can be derisively negative and gain delighted praise for the trenchant wit of their review. But in criticisms of religion even clarity ceases to be a virtue and sounds like aggressive hostility. A politician may attack an opponent scathingly across the floor of the House and earn plaudits for his robust pugnacity. But let a soberly reasoning critic of religion employ what would in other contexts sound merely direct or forthright, and it will be described as a ‘rant’.

Summary It is highly likely that a psychiatrist will be called to an inquest at some point in their career. Our aim in this article is to educate psychiatrists in relation to the law and processes of a coroner's court in England and Wales and provide guidance on engaging with the system. To achieve this we review and discuss the relevant law and medico-legal aspects of inquests.