Philip Spinney

Who Philip Spinney is

Philip Spinney is His Majesty's Senior Coroner for the County of Devon, Plymouth and Torbay, an independent judicial office holder appointed under the Crown. He is an experienced solicitor and advocate with a background in public, administrative and criminal law, whose legal career began in private practice in Dorset before he was commissioned into the legal branch of the Royal Air Force in 1996, where he reached the rank of Air Commodore and served with NATO and the United Nations in Bosnia, Abkhazia, Iraq and Afghanistan. He was appointed Senior Coroner for the Exeter and Greater Devon area in 2018, and in 2024 assumed responsibility for the merged County of Devon, Plymouth and Torbay jurisdiction, which handles approximately 4,500 deaths a year with around 950 leading to inquests. He has attracted press attention for findings and criticism of failures in mental health and duty-of-care systems, notably in the 2024 inquest into the death of Royal Marine recruit Connor Clark, where he criticised failures in the recruit's mental healthcare.

References for this biography

1. 1.Senior and area coroners – His Majesty's Coroner (Devon) — Confirms Spinney's current role, legal background, RAF career, rank of Air Commodore, appointment as Senior Coroner in 2018, and the merged jurisdiction
2. 2.Coroner's service merger completes – DevonAir Radio — Confirms merger of the two Devon coroner services, Spinney as the single Senior Coroner, and the approximately 4,500 deaths per year figure
3. 3.Coroner criticises failures in Royal Marine recruit's mental health care – Slough Observer — Press coverage confirming Spinney's public role and his findings on mental healthcare failures in the Connor Clark inquest, 2024
4. 4.Mr Philip Spinney – Coroner Society member listing — Confirms Spinney's membership of the Coroner Society, his role as Senior Coroner, and his area of appointment from 30 January 2013
5. 5.The Coroner in Devon – Devon Registration Service — Confirms Spinney's current role as HM Coroner for Devon, Plymouth and Torbay, and the office address at County Hall, Exeter EX2 4QD

Notable achievements

• Led the merger of Devon's two coroner services into the single County of Devon, Plymouth and Torbay Coroner Service, becoming Senior Coroner for the enlarged jurisdiction covering approximately 4,500 deaths per year. Source ↗
• In the 2024 inquest into Royal Marine recruit Connor Clark, Spinney criticised failures in the recruit's mental healthcare and concluded those failures probably or more than minimally contributed to his death. Source ↗
• Was the first legal adviser to the newly formed Military Aviation Authority, where he was the appointed adviser to all fatal accident inquiries. Source ↗

Where Philip Spinney has been quoted

1. Man murdered stranger in Devon park after losing mental health support, inquest hearstheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026

Related media coverage

Recent UK press coverage of their topics — not necessarily citing them directly.

• Leaders in Care Awards 2026 | Lifetime Achievement: Care Homes winner revealedHome Care Insight
• GP architect of neighbourhood health reforms to leave NHS EnglandPulse Today
• An important step forward in ending corridor care - Colin Poolman | Blog | RCN ScotlandRoyal College of Nursing

Contact & links

• Staff pagehttps://www.devoncoroners.org.uk/about-the-team/senior-area-coroners/
• Websitehttps://www.devoncoroners.org.uk/published here ↗

Organisational contact points only, each taken from a page the organisation publishes itself. No personal or direct contact details are held or shown.