Shifnal woman found dead in Shrewsbury hotel died from accidental heroin overdose

Louise Smyth, from Shifnal, had travelled to Shrewsbury with her friend Dean Bailey on March 2.

The pair stayed at the Shrewsbury Hotel but during the early hours of the next morning 34-year-old Miss Smyth was found by her friend lying on the floor.

The inquest into Miss Smyth's death took place at Shirehall yesterday.

Mr Bailey told the inquest that during the day of March 2, Miss Smyth had complained of having breathing problems.

The pair decided to check into the hotel on Bridge Street that afternoon, drank some vodka and coke, before injecting themselves with heroin.

Mr Bailey told the hearing Miss Smyth regularly used heroin.

He said: "I was having problems at the time, so she injected me. I passed out and went to sleep then when I came around, I woke up on the floor during the early hours, and she was on the floor next to me."

At the time Mr Bailey was unsure whether she was alive, and said that in the past she had had fits.

"I gave her a shake, put some cold water on her head, and then I tried to feel her pulse but there was nothing, she wasn't breathing," he said.

An ambulance was called, as well as police, and Miss Smyth was pronounced dead at 1.30am on March 3.

Mr John Ellery, coroner for Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, concluded that Miss Smyth's death was alcohol and drug-related.

The post mortem found that she had died of combined opiate and alcohol toxicity.

Mr Ellery recorded her death as happening between 4pm on March 2 and 1.30am on March 3, as it was unclear when exactly she died.

He added: "It looks like she died of a heroin overdose which she administered herself. It's clearly an accidental drug overdose."