The case of ten-year-old Isaac Mansfield's death initially attributed to natural causes took a turn when his GP discovered a positive urine test for a cocaine metabolite. Investigations by the Metropolitan Police revealed insufficient evidence for criminal charges. Coroner Graeme Irvine highlighted the challenging position of leading an inquest, which has a lower proof threshold than criminal trials, with the aim to find who exposed the vulnerable child to drugs. Although Isaac's death occurred in a hospital, it’s believed he ingested cocaine in east London, necessitating scrutiny of those who had unsupervised access to him prior to his death.
"An inquest has a far lower burden of proof than criminal proceedings, allowing a coroner to make findings on the balance of probabilities."
"It seems to me that it's very unfortunate that I'm left in this position. I have to hold what is ostensibly a surrogate criminal investigation."
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