Jesse Nicholls acted for Joy Dove, the mother of Jodey Whiting, and Jodey’s wider family, at the fresh inquest into her death.
Jodey, who was highly vulnerable and had a range of physical and mental health issues, took her own life in 2017 two weeks after her benefits were wrongly terminated by the DWP.
The initial inquest into Jodey’s death in May 2017 lasted just 37 minutes and did not consider the wrongful acts and omissions of the DWP. Jodey’s mother successfully fought for a fresh inquest, which was ultimately granted by the Court of Appeal in 2023 (see judgment here and previous post here).
The fresh inquest into Jodey’s death took place on Monday 2 June 2025. The Senior Coroner, Clare Bailey, concluded that Jodey had taken her own life after multiple failings by the DWP resulted in her benefits being wrongly stopped. This resulted in a significant impact on Jodey’s mental state which caused her death. The Senior Coroner recognised that Mrs Dove’s had had to “walk such a long road” to get to the fresh inquest and described Mrs Dove’s persistence and resilience as “remarkable”.
Jesse Nicholls represented Jodey’s family, instructed by Merry Varney and Dan Webster at Leigh Day.