Initially, I was quite disheartened when I read the above but 'behind every cloud there's a silver lining', I suppose.
I forgot what I'd learned at Uni about the extraordinary powers of a coroner, ie;
The Coroner may summon witnesses, and
people found to be lying are guilty of perjury.
Additional powers of the Coroner include:
the power of subpoena,
the power of arrest,
the power to administer oaths and,
the power to authorise a police officer or other person to enter any place and gather evidence, similar to a search warrant.
The Coroner may ask a person(s) to give evidence at court as a witness(es). If the Coroner wishes someone to appear, they will receive the summons in person, usually from a police officer acting on the Coroners behalf. If they don't turn up to court, the Coroner may issue a warrant(s) for their arrest(s).
Although, the Coroner cannot find someone guilty of a crime if, at any time during the course of an inquest or inquiry, the Coroner forms an opinion that a known person has committed an indictable offence in connection with a death, the Coroner is required to suspend the inquest or inquiry and refer the matter to the Director of Public Prosecutions. (Although, it's entirely a matter for the Director of Public Prosecutions to determine whether charges should be laid against the person, and a matter for the criminal courts to determine whether the person is guilty.)
Ref:
http://www.coroners.justice.nsw.gov.au/
Might be the only way to 'compel' someone to tell their 'secrets'?
