Lucy McCann

Inquests

Lucy is regularly instructed to represent families and other interested persons such as NHS Trusts, GPs and Local Authorities in inquests. She has experience of inquests which engage Article 2 and juries, and which involve a range of issues including deaths in prison, mental illness and children’s services involvement.

Lucy is the co-author of a chapter in the forthcoming second edition of The Inquest Book: The Law of Coroners and Inquests: Inquests Concerning Mental Health and Capacity (with Michael Deacon).

Lucy accepts pro bono instructions in appropriate cases.

Selected Cases

• Inquest into the death of AB (ongoing): representing the family of man who had significant additional needs requiring 24/7 care, who was admitted to hospital with aspiration pneumonitis and subsequently developed fatal sepsis.
• Inquest into the death of SH (ongoing): representing the family in an inquest concerning the self-inflicted death of a teenager with complex needs and multi-agency involvement in his care.
• Inquest into the death of PS: represented the family in a week long, jury inquest into the death of a three-year-old who died of sepsis caused by invasive strep A.
• Inquest into the death of DB: represented the family in a week long prison inquest, concerning an inmate,  DB, who ligatured when placed in the prison’s segregation unit after ingesting ‘hooch’.
• Inquest into the death of OD: represented the family in a two-week prison inquest. The jury concluded that OD died by suicide with a finding of neglect. Their narrative conclusion identified failures on the part of the primary healthcare provider, the NHS Trust responsible for mental healthcare, and prison staff. The Coroner issued a PFD report to the NHS Trust.
• Inquest into the death of AB: represented a local authority in a week long inquest concerning a self-inflicted death in a specialist mental health residential placement.
• Inquest into the death of AB: acted pro-bono in a week long inquest for the family of a teenager who died by suicide in a residential care home. The Coroner issued a PFD report to the company that ran the care home, identifying seven areas of concern.