The open verdict is an option open to a coroner's jury at an inquest in the legal system of England and Wales . The verdict means the jury confirms the death is suspicious, but is unable to reach any other verdicts open to them . Mortality studies consider it likely that the majority of open verdicts are recorded in cases of suicide where the intent of the deceased could not be proved, although the verdict is recorded in many other circumstances.
20-448: The Tall Man may refer to: The Tall Man: Death and Life on Palm Island a 2008 non-fiction book by Chloe Hooper The Tall Man (2011 film) , a 2011 Australian documentary based on Chloe Hooper's book, directed by Tony Krawitz The Tall Man (2012 film) , a 2012 film directed by Pascal Laugier The Tall Man (TV series) , a 1960s Western television series Tall Man ( Phantasm ) ,
40-538: A ruptured spleen , severe bruising to his head and a torn portal vein . The police claimed that his death was caused by him tripping on a step and colluded to protect Chris Hurley from facing any charges over the incident. In response to the news that police were claiming Doomadgee's death was the result of an accidental fall, up to 200 Palm Islanders rioted and burnt down the local police station, adjoining courthouse and police barracks. 80 reinforcement police officers carrying machine guns were flown in by helicopter to
60-646: A fictional character in the Phantasm film series See also [ edit ] Tall Man (disambiguation) The Tall Men (disambiguation) Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title The Tall Man . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Tall_Man&oldid=1027314391 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
80-551: A fire at a birthday party. The families of the victims have long believed that the fire was started deliberately, possibly as a racist attack, and the verdict was interpreted as a rejection of that theory. The inquest into the death of Jean Charles de Menezes , who was shot dead in 2005 by Metropolitan Police officers who mistakenly believed him to be a suicide bomber , returned an open verdict in December 2008. The coroner had specifically directed them that they were not able to return
100-484: A verdict of unlawful killing , and left them the alternatives of the open verdict or ruling the killing lawful, and the verdict (together with the answers to an associated questionnaire given to the jury) was interpreted as a condemnation of the police. The death of Bob Woolmer , an English cricket coach, on 18 March 2007 while coaching Pakistan during the World Cup was given an open verdict on 28 November 2007, with
120-467: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages The Tall Man (2011 film) The Tall Man is a 2011 Australian documentary film directed by Tony Krawitz. It is about the death of Cameron "Mulrunji" Doomadgee in police custody on Great Palm Island , Palm Islands , Queensland on 19 November 2004. The film premiered at the 2011 Adelaide Film Festival on 2 March 2011. The Tall Man explores
140-549: Is suspected, but the evidence of intent is lacking. For this reason some studies of suicides have also included those deaths in which open verdicts were recorded. In May 1961, a fire broke out in the Top Storey Club in Bolton , Greater Manchester. Nineteen people died in the fire (fourteen in the fire and five who jumped from windows on the eighth floor) but despite an investigation by the police and fire brigade, no actual cause for
160-631: Is too big to hold up. The film premiered at the 2011 edition of the Adelaide Film Festival on 2 March 2011, and was also selected for the Toronto International Film Festival in the same year, before being released in cinemas across Australia by Hopscotch/eOne from 17 November 2011. It was first broadcast on SBS Television in 2012. It was shown on 1 May 2021 on NITV , and thereafter streaming on SBS On Demand . Margaret Pomeranz described The Tall Man as "one of
180-653: The Queensland Police Service declined to be involved and no members of the Queensland Police were willing to be interviewed. It is telling, I think, that the Commissioner of Police in Queensland still doesn't feel that he needs to talk, on the record, about one of the most important moments in race relations in our current history. That no one felt the need to give even a simple interview. I think that mirror
200-412: The cause of death. However, the uncertainty explicit in the verdict has led many to regard it as an unsatisfactory one. Current legal guidance is to avoid open verdicts if possible: an open verdict is thus only to be used in the last resort if there is insufficient evidence to enable the coroner or the jury to reach any other conclusions. The fact of there possibly being uncertainty as to other parts of
220-488: The community reaction and events surrounding the death of Cameron Doomadgee, a 36-year-old Palm Island man who, while walking home intoxicated singing his favourite song Who Let the Dogs Out? , was arrested for harassing and attacking public bystanders. Doomadgee was arrested by Sergeant Chris Hurley, or 'the tall man', and was 45 minutes later found dead in police custody with his liver almost split in two, four broken ribs ,
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#1732858943885240-446: The fire could be given and the coroner recorded an open verdict on all who died in the fire. The 1972 inquest into the death by hanging of sailor Nigel Tetley returned an open verdict. The attending pathologist noted that the circumstances suggested masochistic sexual activity rather than suicide. The 1978 death of Keith Moon , drummer for The Who , was given an open verdict, with the inquest being unable to determine if his death
260-405: The house to tell him they had recovered his stolen car which had been reported missing the day before. The cause of his death has never been confirmed. The coroner found a blow to Evans' head and also found high levels of alcohol in his system. A short written will was found on a table next to his body, and a spilled packet of aspirin (bearing a pre-decimalisation price tag indicating that the pack
280-400: The inquisition, for example as to the precise cause, time or place of death, does not authorise recording an open verdict if there is sufficient evidence to record how the deceased came by his death. In other words, the coroner or jury should not fail to reach a positive conclusion merely because there is some doubt on some minor point. In an obiter dictum (legal opinion not forming part of
300-611: The island and 28 locals were arrested. Almost all of the 28 locals served jail sentences. Due to media attention and public protests, manslaughter charges were laid against Chris Hurley, making him the first police officer in Australian history to even have to appear in court for the death of an Aboriginal Australian in police custody . Believing themselves to be above the law and not required to be accountable for their actions, police around Australia staged protests demanding that Chris Hurley should not face prosecution. Although Chris Hurley
320-423: The judgment) in the case of R v West London Coroner, ex parte Gray in 1986, the divisional court stated that the open verdict was, as with the verdicts of unlawful killing and suicide, required to be proved beyond a reasonable doubt. However, the fact of a verdict of suicide requires "some evidence of the deceased having intended to take his own life" means open verdicts are often recorded in cases where suicide
340-529: The most explosive stories of our time". In 2014 the film was selected by the Australian Directors Guild for entry to the Directors Guild of America 's Directors Finder Series . Open verdict Two lord chief justices have cautioned an open verdict does not mean the jury has failed to do their duty of explaining the cause of death, but that in some cases, there is genuine doubt about
360-555: Was accidental or the result of suicide. In 1982, the jury returned an open verdict on the death of Helen Smith , a British nurse who had fallen to her death in Saudi Arabia during a party; this was interpreted as a rejection of the theory that Smith had accidentally fallen, and a victory for her father Ron Smith's claim that she had been killed. In February 1997, actor Barry Evans was found dead in his home by police. The police discovered Evans' body in his living room after going to
380-521: Was at least 26 years old) was found on the floor, although the coroner concluded that Evans had not taken any of these. An open verdict was eventually given. An 18-year-old man was arrested but later released without charge due to insufficient evidence. Two successive inquests, in May 1981 and May 2004, have returned open verdicts on the victims of the New Cross house fire in which 13 black teenagers were killed by
400-517: Was found not guilty at his trial, a final inquest by Coroner Brian Hine delivered an open finding , that Doomadgee was assaulted, but police collusion on evidence meant that he could not determine if the death was deliberate or accidental. The film's script was based on the book The Tall Man by Chloe Hooper . The film aims to include Aboriginal Australians telling their own stories in their own voices, in accordance with Blackfella Films 's main objective. Despite months of negotiations,
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