Coroner calls it a day after 25 years
ROGER Sykes has dealt with the deaths of more than40,000 people during his 25 years as a coroner. To put it into scale, that equates to the population of a city the size of Canterbury. Each of those cases has required Mr Sykes’s meticulous attentionto detail inestab- lishing the cause of death. It has also tested his emotions on many occasions. Peter Erlam spoke to him onthe eve of his retirement.
CORONER Roger Sykes can often be seen walking his dog in woods near home, con- templating the intricacies of a forthcoming inquest.
If the cause of death was unknown, vio-
lent or unnatural, it is his job to investigate and determine, with the help of witnesses - and sometimes a jury - the exact circum- stances, and deliver a verdict on how that person’s life ended.
Mr Sykes said TV dramas such as Silent
Witness can often give a “misleading im- pression” of what actually happens.He also revealed the strains of such a demanding job.
He said it would be difficult
to sum up his work in one word. “I do have a forensic approach. One has to be open minded and have empathy, to have patience and understanding.”
His job can be “quite isolat-
ing”. He said: “I work on my own. Judges have court adminis- trators, they have barristers who present the evidence. I am re- sponsible for the investigation and for selecting witnesses and examining them in court and, of course, making the decision, un- less I have a jury.”
He added: “For families, it is usually going
to be the only time they come across a coro- ner and an inquest but for us it’s what we do, so we have to remember their position. They want to know what happened in the final moments and if the death was peaceful or if there was suffering.” Mr Sykes said: “It can be upsetting. The emotion does touch me in court and it’s im- portant that I refrain from showing that too much. But I do try to say a few words (of condolence) that may be of comfort at the end.” He explained that his emotions have been tested outside court, too, particularly in sui-
Roger Sykes, who has retired after 25 years as the local coroner.
Becoming Maidstone’s coroner ROGER Sykes qualified as a solicitor in 1974 and two years later joined the Maidstone law firm of Whitehead Monckton. At that time, one of the senior partners, Gerald Coombe, was coroner for the borough but in 1985 he was appointed a circuit judge. The following May, Mr Sykes took over as coroner, a part- time post. He had two deputies working with him at the time. He continued until 2002 as a partner at Whitehead Monck-
ton, mainly involved in children’s cases. Mr Sykes said: “In the mid-90s, the coroner’s area was en-
larged from Maidstone to Mid Kent and Medway, to include the Medway Towns, part of Swale and part of Tonbridge and Malling.
“When I started I had fewer than 400 cases per annum, now it’s more than 2,500.”
cide cases. “There are some very moving letters that people write before they take their own life, which are not read out in court for obvious reasons. But I have to read them in private and that can be very mov- ing.” What are the satisfying aspects
of being a coroner? “After a lengthy and complex case, per- haps with a number of barristers appearing, with a jury over sev- eral weeks, and being thanked at the end by the counsel for the family on the way the inquest has been conducted.” Mr Sykes’ role has been full-
time, in all but name, for a num- ber of years. His successor, Patricia Harding, who was assis- tant deputy coroner for London North, has been appointed on a full-time basis.
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