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Emily Moore, 18, from Shildon, County Durham took her own life in February 2020 while an inpatient at Lanchester Road mental health hospital, in Durham. Her family have been waiting five years for answers and feared an inquest to deliver them would never happen after the Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys (TEWV) mental health trust, which cared for her initially said one wasn’t needed after it was cleared in the criminal courts of giving Emily unsafe care. But a Coroner last month ruled an inquest should take place, and that a jury will decide its conclusion .
A pre-inquest review hearing on Friday (March 14) heard the case could last as long as five weeks with up to 36 witnesses, and has been pencilled in for 24 days from March 2 to April 2, 2026. Turning to Emily’s mum Susan in court Senior Assistant Coroner Crispin Oliver said: “I’m afraid we really are talking about next year. “I do want you to bear in mind that while that is the earliest date I could get for us you have [to be] aware and alive to the possibility that it won’t go ahead on those dates.
” During the 90-minute hearing the County Durham and Darlington Coroner also heard calls for him to hear two more inquests relating to TEWV from the Teesside area – those of Christie Harnett and Nadia Sharif. A report covering the deaths of all three girls between June 2019 and February 2020 found 119 failings in Christie, Emily and Nadia’s care at the Trust. Anna Morris KC, counsel for the families, said: “You can and should conduct this inquest with the hope that you can and should conduct the other inquests.
” Read next: C lick here to join our WhatsApp community and get breaking news updates direct to your phone. Counsel for TEWV, Paul Kearney KC, said the Trust would not object to this or Christie and Nadia’s inquests being heard jointly. Mr Oliver said he would work on the basis it is likely he will conduct all of the girls' inquests, but would have discussions with the Senior Coroners for County Durham and Darlington and Teesside about doing so.
The inquest was adjourned to a further pre-inquest review on June 13..
