Derek Winter DL, Deputy Chief Coroner

Her Majesty’s Senior Coroner for the City of Sunderland – 2003 to Date

Deputy Chief Coroner of England and Wales – January 2019 to Date.

He is the Assistant Secretary of The Coroners’ Society of England & Wales, responsible for the Membership and Annual Report. The Society’s objects are, as follow: -

a) The promotion of the usefulness of the Office of Coroner to the public;

b) The ascertainment in questions of difficulty of the duties which devolve upon coroners;

c) The advancement of such amendments to the law as seen desirable;

d) The establishment and maintenance of contact with HM Government; and

e) The protection of rights and interests of coroners.

He is a Home Office Accredited UK Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) Coroner and is part of the Chief Coroner’s Cadre of DVI Coroners.

In October 2014 the Coroners’ Officers and Staff Association conferred honorary membership to Mr Winter.

He was a Course Director for the Judicial College Training for Coroners and Coroners’ Officers from 2015 to 2019.

In June 2015 he became a Deputy Lieutenant for County Durham.