Paul Knapman

Paul Knapman DL was Her Majesty’s Coroner for the central London Borough of Westminster, from 1980 to 2011. He was made Deputy Lieutenant of Greater London in 2008. His responsibility for investigating sudden deaths as an independent judicial officer saw him preside over numerous notable cases.

Cases and events

Iranian Embassy Siege in 1980
Libyan Embassy Siege in 1984
The Clapham Rail Disaster in 1987
Marchioness Boat Disaster in 1989
The Ladbroke Grove Rail Disaster in 1999
7 July 2005 London Bombings (as Lead Coroner) in 2005

He was most recently in the news^[1] (October 2010) when presiding over the inquest of the barrister Mark Saunders, controversially shot to death by Metropolitan Police on 6 May 2008. After the ruling of ‘lawful killing’ Knapman revealed that he would use his powers as coroner to highlight lessons that should be learned by the police for the future^[2] and would make copies of his recommendation available to Secretary of State for Justice, Kenneth Clarke.

He has an entry in Debrett's,^[3] the two-century-old guide to people of distinction and etiquette.

Early life

Knapman went to Epsom College, Surrey, King's College London, and St George's Hospital Medical School, London, where he qualified as a doctor – MB, BS (1968). He then proceeded to read for the Bar at the Council of Legal Education, and was called to the Bar as a barrister in 1972.

Honours

Two medicolegal diplomas, namely DMJ in 1975 and FFLM in 2005
FRCP (Honoris Causa) in 1997
FRCS (Honoris Causa) in 1995

Posts held

President of the Coroner’s Society in 2009
President of the Clinical Forensic and Legal section of The Royal Society of Medicine 1995–1997
Master of the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries 2006–2007^[3]

Charitable work

Knapman helped found the charity, the Coroners’ Courts Support Service, with a pilot scheme in his court, which commenced in January 2003.The charity won the research, advice and support category of The Charity Awards (UK) 2011.^[4] He was the Chairman of the board of trustees of the charity until 2011.

Books and publications

The Law and Practice on Coroners (3 edn 1985)
Medicine and the Law (1989)
Casebook on Coroners (1989)
Sources on Coroners Law (1999)

References

External links

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