Mark Lucraft, KC (born 1961 or 1962) is a British jurist and was Chief Coroner of England and Wales—the second person to occupy the role—from 2016 to 2020. In 2020—before relinquishing the role of Chief Coroner—he became Recorder of London, the senior judge at the

Old Bailey The Central Criminal Court of England and Wales, commonly referred to as the Old Bailey after the street on which it stands, is a criminal court building in central London, one of several that house the Crown Court of England and Wales. The s ...

. The roles were allowed to overlap due to the COVID-19 pandemic. By tradition, the Recorder of London is also appointed High Steward of Southwark, and Lucraft accordingly occupies this role. Lucraft was educated in law at the University of Kent's law school, graduating in 1983. He was

called to the bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

in 1984. He became a recorder in 2003, a

King's Counsel In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel ( post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of a queen, is a lawyer (usually a barrister or ...

(KC) in 2006, and a Senior Circuit Judge at the

Central Criminal Court A Central Criminal Court refers to major legal court responsible for trying crimes within a given jurisdiction. Such courts include: *The name by which the Crown Court is known when it sits in the City of London *Central Criminal Court of England ...

in 2017. As Chief Coroner, he presided over the

inquests An inquest is a judicial inquiry in common law jurisdictions, particularly one held to determine the cause of a person's death. Conducted by a judge, jury, or government official, an inquest may or may not require an autopsy carried out by a coro ...

into the

2017 Westminster attack On 22 March 2017, a terrorist attack took place outside the Palace of Westminster in London, seat of the British Parliament. Khalid Masood, a 52-year-old Briton, drove a car into pedestrians on the pavement along the south side of Westminster ...

and

2017 London Bridge attack On 3 June 2017, a terrorist vehicle-ramming and stabbing took place in London, England. A van was deliberately driven into pedestrians on London Bridge, and then crashed on Borough High Street, just south of the River Thames. The van's three occ ...

. As of April 2021, he is presiding over the inquest into the

2019 London Bridge stabbing Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20 * one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film Music ...

s, which first opened in December 2019.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lucraft, Mark Living people Circuit judges (England and Wales) 21st-century King's Counsel Alumni of the University of Kent Chief Coroners of England and Wales 1960s births Year of birth missing (living people)

See also

References