Coroner petition goes to Mayor – Dismore says burials should be “Hassell-free”

Labour London Assembly Member for Barnet and Camden Andrew Dismore has submitted a petition of 2,882 signatures to the Mayor of London, asking him to write to the Lord Chancellor and Chief Coroner about the behaviour of Mary Hassell, the Senior Coroner for inner North London.

Ms Hassell made a controversial decision to institute a “cab rank rule” for post mortems and for the sign-off of death certificates. Greek, Jewish and Muslim groups are particularly affected by this decision, as their burial customs dictate a need to bury bodies on the day of death, or within 24 hours.

Ms Hassell is the Senior Coroner for Inner North London, which covers the boroughs of Camden, Islington, Hackney and Tower Hamlets, which have some of the largest Muslim and Jewish communities in London.

Mr Dismore said:

‘Although the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan is not responsible for the coroner’s service, and has expressed his strong opposition to the decisions taken by Ms Hassell, I am submitting the petition to him and urging him to write to the Chief Coroner and Lord Chancellor formally to express his concerns.

‘Ms Hassell’s views have led to a loss of trust in her by the community, and I even hear there are residents who are seeking to move, in order to not be under her jurisdiction. That is an appalling decision for people to feel they have to make. This is a service to the public that requires humanity, compassion and consideration. Really, I think it needs to be Hassell-free.’

FacebookTwitterLinkedInShare