WordWave in demand for Isle of Man inquiry

It’s the company’s first major contract on the island, and the first large public inquiry ever to be held there.

The Chief Minister’s Office has set up the inquiry to investigate the circumstances surrounding the murders of two teenagers, George Green and Samantha Burton, who were in the care of social services when they died in 2002. Peter Newberry was later convicted of their murders.

As well as looking into the murders, the inquiry, chaired by Mr Mark Everall QC, is also expected to examine the Isle of Man’s care system and make recommendations for improvement.

Using the leading LiveNote® software, WordWave is providing its realtime reporting service throughout the inquiry, which started on 23 May and is expected to report in October this year.

Legal professionals in court will have an accurate written record of proceedings transmitted live to their laptops as the case unfolds, created by a highly skilled reporter present in the room. Participants can annotate the transcript as they go, and will also get a full, corrected version at the end of each day, making it easier for them to find relevant information and helping them prepare more quickly for the next day’s business.

Requiring a large number of separate Internet connections, the Isle of Man inquiry presents WordWave with a major logistical challenge. But thanks to the company’s new wireless service, it’s been able to keep messy cabling to a minimum, and reduce set up times.

Business Development Manager Reema Corney co-ordinates WordWave’s services for public inquires and is the main point of contact for clients working on long-running, complex investigations of this kind.

"We now offer a range of services aimed at supporting inquiry teams, from realtime reporting to training,” she says. “But we also bring a wealth of experience, gained around the world over the last ten years at major inquiries like Bloody Sunday, Hutton, Harold Shipman and most recently the inquiry into the death of Zahid Mubarek, held in London."

To find out more about WordWave’s public inquiries service, contact Reema Corney on 020 7421 4005 or at: reema.corney@wordwave.co.uk