Plea for Help at Coronial Enquiry

MAGISTRATE Prowse is calling for members of the community to assist with a coronial enquiry to be held on November 1 and 2 to investigate the deaths of Jonathon Lawler and Timothy Morgan.

Magistrate Prowse explained that a coronial enquiry is different to a criminal matter because the spirit of an the enquiry is to gather as much information as possible to shed light on how the deaths occurred and what might be done to prevent similar situations.

“We are looking to gather community knowledge that may assist,” said Magistrate Prowse.

“It might not be directly related to the night and the specific events, it might be a pattern people have observed such a neighbour of the club which might be helpful,” he said.

“For example if neighbours see James driving his car every morning in an erratic manner then there is a pattern that might be useful in the enquiry, it might not directly relate to an incident, but it might provide insights into patterns,” he said.

“An investigation is about following leads, that might not officially have come to the attention of police but they saw something and you follow those leads wherever they take you, it is not like a usual prosecution which is adversarial, it is to enquire and gain as much information as possible,” Magistrate Prowse said.

Two key considerations of the enquiry are:

• whether there are systemic issues with Scone RSL contravening responsible service of alcohol guidelines, and
• what, if anything, could have been done to have prevented the deaths.

Magistrate Prowse is interested in highlighting public safety issues relating to excessive alcohol consumption, particularly in the lead-up to Christmas, a period he often refers to in court hearings as “the killing season”.

Senior Constable Pete Bain, a coronial advocate is assisting Magistrate Prowse.

The role of Senior Constable Bain is to shift through information from the public to determine what information may be relevant to the enquiry and he encourages people to contact him even if they are unsure if it would be relevant.

“It can be frustrating when people come forward with information after the enquiry, we really need to hear from people now,” said Senior Constable Bain.

Senior Constable Bain can be contacted on: 02 8584 7732 or email: bain3pet@police.nsw.gov.au

Related story: Editorial: Coronial Everyone’s Business.