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Coroner releases possible issues to consider in terror attack inquiry

Sam Sherwood sam.sherwood@stuff.co.nz

A coronial inquiry into the Christchurch terror attack may look at how emergency services provided medical aid to the victims and whether anyone who died could have been saved with faster treatment.

Chief Coroner Judge Deborah Marshall released a minute on Thursday outlining the proposed focus of an inquiry into the shootings that killed 51 people at two mosques on March 15, 2019. It was announced earlier that coroner Brigitte Windley would lead the inquiry. It has yet to be decided whether an inquest will be held.

Judge Marshall said she was ‘‘acutely mindful’’ of the extent to which the criminal investigation, prosecution, and royal commission had been used in determining the cause and circumstances of each of the deaths.

However, her review of submissions from interested parties revealed some aspects did not appear to be ‘‘adequately established’’ and were within the parameters of the coronial jurisdiction to look into.

The purposes of a coronial inquiry include establishing cause of death and making recommendations or comments to reduce the chances of further deaths happening in similar circumstances.

Judge Marshall outlined some issues that would likely be deemed within the scope of the inquiry, including the emergency first response to provide medical aid to victims and the survivability of those who died.

This includes what is known about each of the victim’s movements, whether anyone who died could have been saved with faster medical treatment, and whether first responders were sufficiently equipped with both training and resources.

How the terrorist was radicalised and what was known about his travel history were considered out of her scope as they were not relevant to the cause and circumstances of the deaths.

Issues regarding the cultural response of coroners and communication with families after the attack were also deemed out of scope.

‘‘While these are important issues, they do not assist me with establishing the cause and circumstances of the deaths and whether

any recommendations or comments could be made to prevent similar deaths occurring in the future.’’

Interested parties had until November 26 to make any submissions on the proposed issues for inquiry.

A hearing would be held on December 15 before coroner Windley finalised the scope of the inquiry and decided whether an inquest was required.

The victims’ families were previously provided with two sets of information: one with general details about the shooting, and another with specific information on how a particular person died.

The package included a timeline of the events on the day of the attack, photos of the victims as they entered the mosque for prayers, a schematic view of where each victim was when they died, and a report from the forensic pathologist on the nature of each victim’s fatal injuries.

The royal commission’s report into the terror attack, released on December 8, featured 44 recommendations including creating a new national intelligence and security agency, changing firearms licensing rules, and reforming hate speech laws.

The commission found there was no way police, the Security Intelligence Service or any other public sector agency could have been alerted about the imminent terrorist attack.

The 792-page report said with the benefit of hindsight, there were clear events that could be linked to the terrorist’s planning and preparation, but the signs were ‘‘fragmentary’’ and could not be put together at the time.

The 29-year-old Australian national who shot and killed 51 people and injured 40 others at the two mosques in Christchurch was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

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2021-10-29T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-10-29T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://fairfaxmedia.pressreader.com/article/281586653811235

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