Public information

Members of the public may attend hearings.

Seats for the court will be decided on a first come first served basis. One-day seating passes for the court will be available from 9am at Bell Yard North entrance. Given the size of the courtroom (and the need to accommodate interested persons, the jury and media representatives), space will by necessity be limited. Additional accomodation with audio and visual links to the court is available in the court annex.

On days when the Inquests are sitting members of the public should enter the Royal Courts of Justice via the Bell Yard North entrance. The gates will open approximately 30 minutes before the Inquests begin. Those first in the queue will be allocated a seat in the courtroom, while the remainder – up to a maximum of 150 – will be allocated a seat in the court annex.

Those attending the Inquests should note that both the courtroom and the court annex are subject to the same restrictions as would apply to normal court proceedings. When the court is sitting the use of mobile telephones, blackberries, recording equipment, cameras and personal stereos is strictly prohibited. Smoking eating and drinking is also restricted to designated areas within the Royal Courts of Justice complex.