Mary Hassell gives no priority to requests for early burials or less invasive post-mortem examinations

A senior coroner is facing calls to resign and the threat of a second judicial review over complaints about her handling of burial requests from Jewish and Muslim families.

Judaism and Islam both teach that a body should be buried as soon as possible after death, often on the same day, and also state that a body should not be cut open in an “invasive” examination.

Mary Hassell, senior coroner for inner north London, has been involved in disputes over her decision not to give priority where relatives require a swift burial for religious reasons, and to refuse less invasive post-mortem examinations in certain cases. Her jurisdiction covers the boroughs of Camden, Islington, Hackney and Tower Hamlets, home to some of Britain’s largest Jewish and