Name Andrew Walker | ||
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Andrew Walker (born 1968) is an English barrister and coroner for Northern District of Greater London.
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Career as a Coroner
In June 2006 he was appointed on temporary contract as assistant deputy coroner in Oxfordshire, one of three temporary appointees to assist in reducing a backlog of inquests into the deaths of British military personnel overseas. Bodies of those servicemen dying overseas are repatriated to the UK via RAF Brize Norton leading to the responsibility for inquests being under the civilian jurisdiction of the Oxfordshire coroner.
Statements made by Walker in a number of high-profile cases have been quoted in the British media. He has sought to summon several high-profile witnesses, including Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon, and has been critical of the policy of the position of the government of the United States in that US servicemen do not attend non-US courts, written statements being normally provided.
He has been particularly critical of the actions of the UK Ministry of Defence and United States Department of Defense, particularly with regard to so-called friendly fire incidents.
Notable non-military inquests
In August 2007, Andrew Walker as deputy coroner sitting at Hornsey North London, ruled that a full inquest into the police killing of Azelle Rodney could not be held due to the large number of redactions in police officers' evidence statements. The redactions were made under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act which covers information obtained from covert surveillance including telephone taps and bugs.
At a pre-inquest hearing in June 2012 into the police killing of Mark Duggan, coroner Andrew Walker said it was "quite extraordinary" that the Independent Police Complaints Commission refused to provide witness statements. He ordered the material to be disclosed within 28 days.