Rajkiran Arhestey

Inquests

Kiran has significant inquest experience and accepts instructions on behalf of families, Trusts, GPs, government bodies and private companies. She has experience of inquests which engage Article 2 and/or jury inquests as well as inquests concerning prisons, mental health hospitals, medical treatment, and deaths on railways.

She is a co-editor along with Sir Neil Garnham, Caroline Cross and Matthew Hill of the upcoming 2^nd edition of the Inquests Book (to be published in 2024) and author of the chapter on Article 2 Inquests.

Selected Cases

• Re POR (ongoing): Representing an occupational health company in an investigation and inquest arising out of the self-inflicted death of a serving police officer.
• Re AS (ongoing): Representing the family of a black man who died following a brief interaction with the police from ‘acute behavioural disturbance.’ The investigation is ongoing.
• Re SJS (2024): Represented a train company in a 4-day inquest concerning an individual who took his own life by jumping in front of a train.
• Re BG (2024): Represented the family of a young woman who took her own life on a psychiatric ward during a lengthy inpatient admission.
• Re LS (2023): Represented the family of a woman who was admitted to hospital following a fall, and developed sepsis which was not recognised or treated and subsequently died.
• Re CN (2023): Represented the family of a woman who died following a pulmonary embolism. The Coroner concluded that, but for a failure in communication between the Trust and CN, CN would have undergone surgery for uterine fibroids and avoided her death. He also made a PFD report to the NHS Trust, NHS England and the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.
• Re: TS (2022): Represented a private healthcare company which provided healthcare services in a prison in a 2-week Article 2 jury inquest following the death of a prisoner from HIV/AIDs-related complications. No criticisms were made of the company.
• Re: CR (2022): Represented family in a 4-day inquest concerning the death of a young man with schizophrenia by suicide. The Coroner concluded that the clinician should have offered CR a trial of the anti-psychotic clozapine and that the failure to do so contributed to the death.
• Re: W (2021): Represented family in a 7-day Article 2 jury inquest concerning significant clinical failings in treatment of a detained man with a spinal injury which concluded with a finding of neglect. Kiran also acted in the claim after the inquest and secured a settlement for the family.
• Re: GS (2021): Represented family in a 1-week Article 2 jury inquest concerning the death of an informal patient whilst on home leave from a mental health hospital. The jury made criticisms of Social Services in their conclusion. The Trust made admissions of failures in care prior to the inquest.