Concealed Homicide in England and Wales

This study investigates the implications in relation to the phenomenon of concealed homicide of medico-legal system in the United Kingdom with a primary focus on England and Wales. The term "concealed homicide", as the term is used in this study, refers to a death resulting from an unlawful action wherein the actual circumstances of the death are concealed to cause the death to appear to be the result of natural causes or of human actions that were not unlawful within the context of wilful murder.

Concealed homicide, therefore, may refer to acts ranging, at one extreme of a continuum, from staged "accidents" to setting fire to buildings to mask the true cause of death, to the other extreme of the continuum wherein a mass murderer such as Dr. Harold Shipman is able to manipulate the medico-legal system to conceal the facts surrounding the causes of death of multiple victims. Between the extremes of the continuum lie a multitude of other tactics designed to conceal homicides, including the hiding or disposal of bodies to prevent the facts of death from coming to light.

The focus of this study, however, is on those instances in which the death of persons is known but wherein a person or persons attempt (successfully or unsuccessfully) to conceal the circumstances related to the true ca

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the post-mortem results. The result was that the confirmatory medical certifications continued to be performed in instances of hospital deaths. Very few autopsies were required prior to cremation (Smith, 2003). The confirmatory medical certification process, thus, became a practice of one physician rubber-stamping the statement of another physician. In effect, nothing was done to strengthen the medico-legal system in relation to deterring concealed homicides. Authorisation for the Disposition of Bodies As it stands, authority to cremate a body is provided by a medical referee. Medical referees are authorised by an act of Parliament. The post of medical referee is a part-time. A medical referee is remunerated for each cremation authorized (Smith, 2003). Medical referees and deputy medical referees must be registered medical practitioners of not less than five years' standing and "à must possess such experience and qualifications as will fit them for the duties required of them à' (quoted in Smith, 2003: 47). It is a common arrangement for a director of public health to act as medical referee to a local crematorium. At times, medical referees and their deputies are appointed from among doctors working in general practi
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 6853
Approximate Pages = 27 (250 words per page)