DURING his three decades as Oxfordshire’s coroner, Nicholas Gardiner has seen one sad statistic loom over his work.

The 69-year-old, set to retire in April, said: “I have seen drug cases soar. Whereas 30 years ago my first drugs case practically hit the national headlines, nowadays most don’t even attract the press.”

This often leads him to add stark warnings to his verdicts, particularly around drug and road deaths. He said; “The coroner is not bound to ‘sum up’ but most say a few words to indicate the rationale behind their decision.”

Sudden or unexplained deaths are reported to the coroner, who will hold an inquest in public and record a verdict such as accidental death or natural causes.

Mr Gardiner said: “Most turn out to be easily explained. Post mortems explain a great deal. But others need investigating.”

The former Dragon School pupil took over the role from his father Thomas, who himself started in 1945, after being weaned on his stories and Sherlock Holmes books. He said: “I was intrigued by my father’s work as a coroner, but a little daunted at the prospect of taking on his role. But I was feeling slightly jaded with my work as a solicitor and the job was fascinating. My father was very pleased.”

He started the role part-time, covering parts of the county, in April 1981 and took over the whole county that August.

His most famous case was the death of Government weapons inspector Dr David Kelly – even though there was no inquest.

Mr Gardiner refused to hold a hearing, arguing the Government-commissioned Hutton Inquest was sufficient.

He said in yesterday’s Oxford Mail: “The Government has always been very proper.”

MR Gardiner’s firm of solicitors – Challoner Gardiner – is still running from New Inn Hall Street, Oxford.

The father-of-two and grandather-of-three intends to keep busy, spending more time on his narrowboat and enjoying retirement in Woodstock with wife Pammy.

But until April he remains very much in the Coroner’s chair.

He said: “When a case comes in you develop a feeling for it and you realise quickly when one will be troublesome – some do give me sleepless nights.

“But if it stopped worrying me, I would wonder if I was doing my job right.”

Mr Gardiner confirmed neither of his children would be following in his footsteps as coroner.