Senior and area coroners

Philip Spinney is the HM Senior Coroner for the County of Devon, Plymouth and Torbay.

Philip is an experienced solicitor and advocate with a background in public, administrative and criminal law. His legal career started as a solicitor in private practice in Dorset before being commissioned into the legal branch of the Royal Air Force in 1996.

He initially served with the Royal Air Force Prosecuting Authority and later undertook a variety of legal roles which included advising the senior leadership of the Royal Air Force and Ministers on aspects of constitutional, international and military law.

He was the first legal adviser to the newly formed Military Aviation Authority where he was the appointed adviser to all fatal accident inquiries.

Philip also served overseas with NATO and the United Nations and served on operations in Bosnia, Abkhazia, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Philip completed the Joint Service Advanced Staff and Command course and as a senior officer sat on the Legal Branch Management Board.

Whilst serving with The Royal Air Force Philip was appointed as an Assistant Coroner in the Plymouth, Torbay and South Devon Jurisdiction.

Philip achieved the rank of Air Commodore and on leaving the Royal Air Force Philip was appointed as an Assistant Land Registrar to HM Land Registry in Plymouth and also continued to sit regularly as an Assistant Coroner in Devon.

In 2016 Philip was appointed as the Area Coroner to the newly formed South Wales Central Coroner Area where he had the day to day responsibility for the Cardiff Coroner’s Court and office.

In 2018 Philip was appointed as the Senior Coroner in the Exeter and Greater Devon Coroner area.

Philip lives in Devon with his wife, Gill and their two children. He is a keen sailor and enjoys spending time on Dartmoor running and walking with his family and dogs.

Alison is an experienced barrister who specialised in criminal law and was employed by the Crown Prosecution Service where she began her legal career as a Crown Prosecutor, prosecuting cases primarily in the Magistrates Court, before becoming a Senior Crown Prosecutor in 2010.

In this role she prosecuted a variety of cases in both the Magistrates and Crown Court, working closely with the police and other partner agencies to obtain justice for victims of crime.

She was then promoted to District Crown Prosecutor of the Rape and Serious Sexual Offences team in which she led a team of prosecutors and paralegals, prosecuting the most serious sexual offences across the south west of England.

During this time, Alison was appointed an Assistant Coroner for Exeter and Greater Devon in 2018. Alison was then appointed Area Coroner in September 2021.

Alison lives in Devon with her husband and their two young children.

Deborah is an experienced Barrister with a background in Public Law children’s cases. Deborah started her career at Chambers in London but moved to Devon in 1999. During her time in practice she specialised in the most serious non accidental injury and sexual abuse cases which were instrumental in her developing an interest in medical issues generally.

She appeared in high profile inquests during her career at the Bar mainly involving children and this led to her appointment as an Assistant Coroner in 2009.  Deborah was appointed Area Coroner in January 2025.

Deborah worked for a brief period at the Law Commission after being recommended for a placement there by her university and has a well-rounded legal knowledge base having appeared in both the Crown Court and the Court of Protection during her years at the Bar.

Deborah has lived in Devon for over 25 years and has a good knowledge of local issues, geography and community.  She is married and enjoys spending time with her husband walking on Dartmoor and riding her horses.

Living in Exeter, Nicholas is a coronial and judicial office-holder with significant experience in the areas of medical, mental health, inquest, regulatory, criminal, prison and public law.

He has detailed knowledge of the medical and forensic sciences, including the practice of medicine and allied healthcare professions, and the work of the emergency and rescue services also an in-depth understanding of police procedure, the criminal justice system and the workings of prisons, psychiatric hospitals and other institutions of state detention.

Nicholas was appointed as an Assistant Coroner in 2019 in Worcestershire, in 2021 in Avon and in 2023 in the County of Devon, Plymouth and Torbay. He has carried out numerous inquests of all lengths and complexity.

In 2021 Nicholas was appointed Judge of the First-tier Tribunal (Mental Health Tribunal).

Prior to judicial appointment, Nicholas practised as a barrister in London and the south-east.