Former Shropshire businesswoman Stephanie Booth killed when tractor toppled down embankment
A colourful trangender hotelier and entrepreneur was killed when the tractor she was driving crashed down a bank, an inquest was told.
Stephanie Booth, who once ran a leisure and entertainment complex in Shropshire was mowing scrubland on a steep hillside at her farm near Corwen in north Wales when the tragedy happened.
Yesterday a conclusion of accidental death was recorded on the 70-year-old, who died from crush injuries.
The inquest at Ruthin, Denbighshire, heard she would have died rapidly from her injuries.
Mrs Booth died in the accident which happened last September. She was found by her husband who tried to revive her.
Mrs Booth was a pioneer of gender reassignment - having sex change surgery in 1982.
She and her husband David bought hotels in Llangollen and in 2009 she was featured in a BBC documentary called Hotel Stephanie.
The couple bought part of the former railway engineering buildings in Oswestry and opened the first phase of a £2 million leisure and entertainment complex, McLarens, on the Gobowen Road. The building fhoused an indoor play barn for children and a cafe and the businesswoman had plans to open a bistro and ice skating rink as well as a theatre and cinema.
However her businesses, including a chain of hotels in Llangollen, The Chainbridge, Wild Pheasant and Bryn Howel, lwent into administration and McClarens closed in August 2011.
Six years ago Mrs Booth tried without success to buy Wrexham Football Club.
The tractor tragedy happened on her beloved family farm which has steep fields.
Mrs Booth's husband David, 72, did not attend the inquest but coroner John Gittins read a statement from him.
The statment described how he had given CPR without response after finding her lying four yards from the tractor, which had been towing a mower.
Mr Booth said they had married in Hawaii 28 years ago and ten years ago married again in this country.
Constable Richard Davies said it appeared that Mrs Booth had had reversed close to an edge which gave way, causing the tractor to topple down an embankment and roll over her.
In recording his conclusion Mr Gittins said : "I am aware this was a lady who was well known to a significant number of people and I'm sure there are very many people and the immediate family who feel her loss very deeply."
