The applicant, a police officer, sought an anonymity order and a publication ban for an upcoming mandatory inquest into a death following his use of force, citing alleged threats to his safety on social media.
The court dismissed the application, emphasizing the paramountcy of the "open court" principle and the mandatory nature of section 32 of the Coroner's Act, which stipulates that inquests shall be open to the public with only two specific exceptions not applicable to this case.
The court found no evidence of specific threats constituting a real and substantial risk to justify overriding the statutory requirement for a public inquest.
