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Inquests & Public Inquiries

Inquest into death of Laura Winham adjourned for legal submissions ahead of Coroner’s

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Iftikhar Manzoor

Team Leader & Senior Litigation Executive

2 min read time

The inquest into the death of Laura Winham has been adjourned after hearing three days of evidence.

Legal teams will now have the opportunity to make submissions to the Coroner based on the evidence heard before she makes her findings and rulings over Laura’s cause of death.

Evidence was heard from Laura’s family and representatives of the Surrey County Council’s adult social care team, the Department for Work and Pensions and Surrey Police.

Laura, 41, was found deceased at her social housing property in Woking by her mother and brother in May 2021.

She had been estranged from her family, who had reluctantly kept their distance from her for a number of years as her schizophrenia caused her to believe they would harm her, the situation only worsening when they tried to reassure and help her.

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Sectioned twice and classed an ‘adult risk’

The inquest heard that Laura had twice been sectioned and had been alerted to Surrey County Council in 2017 by police offices as she had little food and appeared unaware of how to access local services for help.

She was classed as an adult at risk by Surrey County Council before being referred to the local authority’s Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub team, which passed down the details to the Woking locality team.

They tried to call her on a number which police had already said was out of use and sent her a letter which gave her two weeks to reply before the case was closed.

Surrey County Council’s director of practice, assurance and safeguarding told the inquest it had been an ‘inappropriate method of contact’ and admitted Laura should have been visited.

Laura’s sister Nicky told the inquest she believes she died on November 2, 2017, as she used to tick off each date on her calendar and this was the final one marked.

The Safeguarding Adults Review following Laura’s death was also discussed at the inquest.

A date for the findings to be confirmed is still to be confirmed by the assistant coroner for Surrey Dr Karen Henderson.

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