High Court orders new inquest into 1978 death of London girl scalded in bath

The High Court has ordered that the 1978 inquest into the death of five-year-old Andrea Bernard be reopened. Bernard suffered extensive burns after being forced into an excessively hot bath and died weeks later from infection. Her stepmother, Janice Nix—once a drug dealer who later became an award-winning probation officer—was convicted of manslaughter in June and received a 12-year prison term.

Following the conviction, senior coroner Penelope Schofield applied to overturn the original accidental-death finding, and Lord Justice Singh, joined by Lord Justice Fordham, concluded that a new inquest is necessary and desirable. The judgment noted that the recent verdict directly bears on how Andrea died. The case will now be referred back to the coroner to arrange a fresh inquiry.