BOLTON'S new coroner loves the town so much she walked out of a role on the Harold Shipman Inquiry to work here.

Jennifer Leeming, the first female coroner in the town and the only one outside London, said there was no other vacancy she would have applied for while she sat on the historic hearing into the infamous GP.

Although she admits the inquiry was fascinating, she said the opportunity to become the coroner for Manchester West District was too good to ignore.

Her mother came from the town, her late husband David was from Bury and she is familiar with the town centre, often shopping and visiting the Octagon.

Mrs Leeming, aged 52, said: "It's like coming home. I know it sounds very, very corny, but I feel very comfortable here."

She added: "If you serve the public in a judicial post in a community you already know and respect you are going to enjoy it."

Mrs Leeming had sat on the Shipman Inquiry in her role as the deputy coroner for Manchester South in Stockport.

Her job was to listen to the evidence from families, ask questions if necessary and see if there were any doubts over the role of the coroner.

She said: "It was very interesting listening to the evidence. It illustrated to me the trust people put into the medical profession.

"I hope that won't change and people will realise their GPs are there to help them."

Mrs Leeming became a coroner after a career which started at a solicitors in Macclesfield, where she became a litigation partner, following a law degree at Sheffield University.

In 1988 her husband died while she was expecting her son David and she put her career on hold while she looked after her child.

In the early 1990s she returned to work for the Crown Prosecution Service.

She said the tragedy she suffered has influenced the way she carries out the job of the coroner.

"My own experience of bereavement means I empathise with the relatives of people who have died.

"I think it is important we try and have a sympathetic relationship with relatives of the bereaved."

She said she wanted to be a coroner because she has always been interested in legal and medical issues and she finds many aspects of it rewarding.

Mrs Leeming lives in Alderley Edge, in Cheshire, and her 13-year-old son is a pupil at Manchester Grammar School, where he is captain of his year's cricket team.

She said much of her time in the summer is spent watching him play.

"My dream is to see him play for Lancashire," she said.

Her other interests are reading and the theatre and she is looking forward to spending more time at the Octagon.

CHANCE NOT TO BE MISSED: Jennifer Leeming, the first female coroner in the town, said there was no other vacancy she would have considered, while she sat on the historic Harold Shipman hearing BOLTON'S new coroner loves the town so much she walked out of a role on the Harold Shipman inquiry to work here.

Jennifer Leeming, the first female coroner in the town and the only one outside London, said there was no other vacancy she would have applied for while she sat on the historic hearing into the infamous GP.

Although she admits the inquiry was fascinating, she said the opportunity to become the coroner for Manchester West District was too good to ignore.

Her mother came from the town, her late husband David was from Bury and she is familiar with the town centre, often shopping and visiting the Octagon.

Mrs Leeming, aged 52, said: "It's like coming home. I know it sounds corny, but I feel very comfortable here."

She added: "If you serve the public in a judicial post in a community you already know and respect you are going to enjoy it."

Mrs Leeming had sat on the Shipman Inquiry in her role as the deputy coroner for Manchester South in Stockport.

Her job was to listen to the evidence from families, ask questions if necessary and see if there were any doubts over the role of the coroner.

She said: "It was very interesting listening to the evidence. It illustrated to me the trust people put into the medical profession.

"I hope that won't change and people will realise their GPs are there to help them."

Mrs Leeming became a coroner after a career which started at a solicitors in Macclesfield, where she became a litigation partner, following a law degree at Sheffield University.

In 1988 her husband died while she was expecting her son David and she put her career on hold while she looked after her child.

In the early 1990s she returned to work for the Crown Prosecution Service. She said the tragedy she suffered has influenced the way she carries out the job of the coroner.

"My own experience of bereavement means I empathise with the relatives of people who have died.

"I think it is important we try and have a sympathetic relationship with relatives of the bereaved."

She said she wanted to be a coroner because she has always been interested in legal and medical issues and she finds many aspects of it rewarding.

Mrs Leeming lives in Alderley Edge, in Cheshire, and her 13-year-old son is a pupil at Manchester Grammar School, where he is captain of his year's cricket team.

She said much of her time in the summer is spent watching him play.

"My dream is to see him play for Lancashire," she said.

Her other interests are reading and the theatre and she is looking forward to spending more time at the Octagon.