Marlborough nurse died after tragic fall (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Marlborough nurse died after tragic fall

9:40am Friday 27th January 2012 in Marlborough By Nigel Kerton

Nurse practitioner Caroline Morley, 27, who was found dead downstairs at her Marlborough home while her three year old daughter Isabella slept upstairs had a tragic fall and then took codeine tablets because she was confused, an inquest concluded.

The hearing, in Trowbridge on Wednesday, was told Miss Morley had been taking prescription tablets from the hospital A&Unit where she worked.

Police who went to her home in Riding School Yard in High Street next to the Waitrose supermarket on Friday May 27 last year after an uncle found her dead discovered large quantities of codeine tablet blister packs.

Pathologist Dr Lawrence John estimated there were about 850 tablets missing from the packets which from their shelf-life dates appeared to have been taken over the previous weeks from Cirencester Hospital where Miss Morley worked.

Her second cousin John Beeston, who lived next door and was her landlord, told the inquest that as he went to get his paper at 6am every morning she was often getting ready for work and he would stop for a chat.

On May 27 he noticed her door was ajar as he walked past to get his paper and it was same when he returned minutes later so he decided to check she was alright, opened her door and called her name.

Mr Beeston, a retired ice cream maker,said she had appeared well when he saw her the previous evening and when he pushed her door open he could see several cereal packets on the kitchen floor together with Miss Morley’s mobile phone.

He called out: “Are you alright Caroline?” Receiving no answer looked in the lounge to see her lying on the sofa and he told Assistant Deputy Coroner Ian Singleton: “I thought she looked a funny colour; she was bluish.”

A post mortem by Dr John discovered Miss Morley had a large bruise on her scalp and revealed a fractured skull and a brain haemorrhage consistent with her head striking a blunt object.

Home office pathologist Dr Huw White was asked to give a second opinion and he too blood levels showed quantities of codeine and also morphine which metamorphosises from codeine.

Both pathologists said the cause of death was the bruising to her head, fractured skull and brain hemmorhage with a secondary cause of codeine toxicity.

Miss Morley’s mother Dorena in a statement read by the coroner, said her daughter had suffered a fall in March 2010 when she collapsed as her partner Scott Guarnieri was about to go out and struck her head on cobbles outside their home.

Mrs Morley said her daughter had been prescribed codeine as pain killers after injuring her shoulder lifting a patient.

Mr Guarnieri, who was separated from Miss Morley but still called to see their daughter, told the coroner he used to see large quantities of tablets around the house but was not concerned because his partner was a highly trained nurse.

The coroner asked him: Were you aware she had an addiction to codeine tablets,” and Mr Guarnieri’s reply was: “No.”

Mr Guarnieri said that when she had the previous fall or collapse in 2010 she appeared to be grinding her teeth and convulsing although she made a quick recovery.

GP Dr Sally Hanson said Miss Morley was not on regular prescribed medication at the time of her death.

PC Ivor Noyce, the first officer at the house, said he found no note and he formed the conclusion that Miss Morley had fallen in her kitchen and probably went to her front door to get some fresh air, and where he found some vomit, and then went into her lounge where she died.

Summing up the coroner said: “This is a very sad and tragic case for all of Caroline’s family and friends.”

Mr Singleton said he believed Miss Morley had a fall striking her head and then in her confusion took a large number of codeine tablets that caused her death.

“There is no evidence she intended to cause herself any harm or take her own life.”

He recorded a verdict of accidental death.