Oswestry teacher who died from alcohol 'did not intend to kill herself'
An Oswestry teacher who died after drinking a lethal amount of alcohol did not intend to harm, let alone kill, herself, a coroner has said.
Jacqueline Little, 59, of Hampton Fields, was found dead in her living room at home on the morning of April 5. She was found by her father who she lived with, in a kneeling position, facing the floor.
An inquest in Shrewsbury heard a post mortem carried out following the death had found Miss Little had a level of alcohol in her blood that was high enough to cause death.
Mr John Ellery, coroner for Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin, said Miss Little did not intend to harm or kill herself and concluded she had died as a result of an accident. The cause of death was acute alcohol intoxication and left ventricular hypertrophy - the thickening of the muscle at the left side of the heart.
During the hearing, her brother Julian Morrison-Little revealed his sister was "very secretive" and had only told medical professionals and a friend - which he did not know about until after her death - about having a problem with alcohol.
He added, however, that Miss Little's friend thought she was "on the up" and said: "It was an accident but a very sad accident."
Mr Morrison-Little added he wanted to emphasize the "positive side" of his sister. He said: "She was really looking forward to a holiday in Spain which would have been three weeks after her death.
"She loved tango dancing and has one or two events dedicated to that throughout the year. She was a doer, she went out there and got on with it and she was never happy unless she rose to the top. She was a seeker and was always seeking something more."
Mr Ellery said: "This death was the unintended consequence of drinking alcohol. I have heard no evidence that she wanted to harm herself, let alone kill herself.
"I conclude she died as the result of an accident."
