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CORONERS ACT 1997 - SECT 13 Coroner's jurisdiction in relation to deaths

CORONERS ACT 1997 - SECT 13

Coroner's jurisdiction in relation to deaths

    (1)     A coroner must hold an inquest into the manner and cause of death of a person who—

        (a)     dies violently, or unnaturally, in unknown circumstances; or

        (b)     dies under suspicious circumstances; or

        (c)     dies and the death appears to be completely or partly attributable to an operation or procedure; or

        (d)     dies after having undergone an operation or procedure and in circumstances that, in the opinion of the Chief Coroner, should be better ascertained; or

        (e)     dies and a doctor has not given a certificate about the cause of death; or

        (f)     dies not having been attended by a doctor at any time within the period commencing 6 months before the death; or

        (g)     dies after an accident where the cause of death appears to be directly attributable to the accident; or

        (h)     dies, or is suspected to have died, in circumstances that, in the opinion of the Attorney-General, should be better ascertained; or

              (i)     dies in care or custody.

    (2)     A coroner has jurisdiction to hold an inquest into the manner and cause of death, outside the ACT, of a person, if—

        (a)     the person was ordinarily resident in the ACT; and

        (b)     the death happened in any of the circumstances referred to in subsection (1).

    (3)     A coroner has jurisdiction to hold an inquest even though—

        (a)     the body of the deceased—

              (i)     is not within the ACT; or

              (ii)     has been destroyed; or

              (iii)     is in a place from which it cannot be recovered; or

        (b)     in the case of a suspected death—the body of the deceased cannot be found.

    (4)     In this section:

"operation or procedure" means—

        (a)     an operation of a medical, surgical, dental or similar nature; or

        (b)     an invasive medical or diagnostic procedure.

Note     A coroner may, or may not, conduct a hearing into a death (see div 5.1 (Hearings)).