Coroner warned over drink-driving conviction

An assistant coroner has been handed a formal misconduct warning after she pleaded guilty to drink-driving.

Hannah Mettam, who sits as an assistant coroner in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, was sanctioned by the Lady Chief Justice and the Lord Chancellor for the criminal offence.

According to a public notice from the Judicial Conduct Investigation Office (JCIO), Mettam said she was experiencing "difficult personal circumstances" at the time.

The report said the qualified barrister was given a community order and a three-year driving ban for the offence at court.

Published on Wednesday, the report said Mettam "accepted that she had driven whilst under the influence of alcohol and was over the legal limit".

"In explaining the circumstances behind the incident, Ms Mettam provided details of difficult personal circumstances she had been experiencing at the time," it said.

The JCIO, which handles misconduct allegations against judges, magistrates, and coroners, gave Mettam credit for "prompt self-reporting" of the conviction and her "acceptance of full responsibility, her engagement with relevant support services, and her otherwise unblemished conduct record".

Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr and Lord Chancellor David Lammy agreed to a sanction of a formal warning.

The JCIO did not publicise the wider circumstances of the drink-driving conviction, including the severity of the offending, and did not disclose details of Mettam's mitigation in the misconduct proceedings.

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