When Amy Winehouse passed away in July of last year, the coroner who conducted the inquest was Suzanne Greenaway. She was actually hired to the post by her husband, Andrew Reid. He is the coroner in London. According to British law, a coroner must be a registered attorney for at least five years before they can be appointed. Greenaway has been an attorney for five years, but not in England. She was a registered attorney in her native country of Australia.
The public was not aware of Greenaway’s resignation until today. The local authority in this matter, the Camden Council, said that they did not believe there was any intentional wrongdoing on Reid’s part. The council said that they believe that Reid was acting in good faith and simply made an error. However, the Office for Judicial Complaints has opened an inquiry into Reid’s conduct.
Amy Winehouse’s death was deemed to be from accidental alcohol poisoning. The verdict in the inquest, given by Greenaway, was “misadventure.” Winehouse’s family issued a statement saying that they are consulting with an attorney to see if there needs to be further discussions with authorities in the matter.
A spokesman for the Camden Council said that as of right now, the verdict of the inquest is legal. That verdict would only become illegal if it was overturned by the High Court. Dr. Reid is reportedly writing to all of the families that were affected by Greenaway’s inquests and apologizing. He has offered to start new inquests if the families decide that they want one. There were 12 inquests in Camden that were completed by Greenaway. She mainly worked out of Poplar Coroner’s Court.
The Ministry of Justice appoints coroners in Britain. It is up to the coroner to appoint their own assistant deputy coroner and that is what Greenaway’s official title was.
