Update on Jools’ New Inquest

Following the High Court’s decision in July to quash the original inquest into Jools’ death and order that a completely new inquest be held, the next stage of the process will take place on Monday 2 November 2026 at 1pm at Gloucestershire Coroner’s Court .

This will be a Pre Inquest Review hearing, often referred to as a PIR.

It is important to explain that this is not Jools’ new inquest and we are not expecting to get answers about what happened to him on 2 November.

The purpose of the hearing is to help the Coroner determine what needs to happen before the new inquest can take place, including what further information, evidence and investigations may be required.

There are still significant areas that we believe need to be properly explored. Our legal team will be asking the Coroner to consider obtaining further evidence and information so that the new inquest has the fullest possible picture of Jools’ life, particularly his online life, in the period before his death.

For us, this is another important step in a very long process. Jools died in April 2022 and, more than four years later, we are still trying to understand what happened to our 14 year old son.

The High Court ordering a fresh inquest was hugely significant, but it was not the end of that journey. In many ways, it marked the beginning of a new investigation into the circumstances surrounding Jools’ death.

We know many people have been following our journey and have asked whether 2 November might finally bring answers. Sadly, we are still a long way from that point.

What we hope the hearing will do is ensure that the right questions are asked, the right evidence is obtained and that, when Jools’ new inquest eventually takes place, no reasonable line of enquiry has simply been left unexplored.

We will continue to update everyone as the process moves forward.

Thank you, as always, for continuing to support Jools and our fight for answers.

Ellen Roome and Matt Sweeney

Jools’ Mum and Dad