Transgender 'Soho icon' fell to her death from Westminster bridge 'when she climbed onto the side to urinate' while wearing white Chanel suit, inquest hears
Natasha Reddington-Romanov's disappearance sparked dozens of missing person appeals when she vanished after leaving a nightclub last September.
Friends said the 55-year-old hadn't had gender reassignment surgery and was known for peeing when drunk by cocking one leg thanks to her often complicated undergarments.
After dinner with a friend on September 20 last year, she was walking home intoxicated in a white Chanel suit when she needed the loo.
And she made a fatal mistake - lifting one leg over the side of the central London bridge in an attempt to relieve herself and slipping over the edge.
It was theorised by coroner Paul Rogers that she may have plunged so far under the water she was caught by a strong 'riptide' which stopped her from surfacing.
Her body was found a mile upstream by the steps of Vauxhall Bridge at around 11am the following morning, despite intensive searches which started minutes after she was seen to fall.
The inquest at Inner West London Coroner's Court heard that Miss Reddington-Romanov, 55, was born in Dunstable, Beds, as John James Reddington.
She had lived most of her adult life as a woman, with GP notes from 2003 showing she was taking hormones.
She legally changed her name in May 2005 and had a wide circle of friends both in and outside London.
She worked as a facilities manager for affordable housing provider the Guinness Partnership, with colleagues describing her as 'a wonderful woman whose kindness and warmth lit up every room.'
The court heard that on September 20 last year, she went for dinner with the owner of Soho jazz club Trisha's, Patricia Bergonzi.
Friend of 15 years, Vanessa Frank, 48, said that Miss Reddington-Romanov had been so busy at work that she hadn't had a drink for a month and said she wondered whether the alcohol she had consumed that night had affected her particularly strongly.
After her friend's death, Ms Frank viewed CCTV footage showing her near the bridge and said she appeared 'inebriated in a way I hadn't seen her before.'
She remembered a previous occasion where her friend had cocked her leg up to urinate in a doorway when they were on a night out in Soho.
'She didn't undergo gender reassignment surgery,' Ms Frank told the court.
'She literally would lift one leg at a right angle and brace against something and that would allow her to manoeuvre as she wanted to.
'I viewed the video and I was not 100% left without doubt, but my strongest feeling was that she'd done as she normally did and at one point she tried to cock her leg and she lost her footing.'
She said she and all of Miss Reddington-Romanov's friends were truly shocked by what had happened and had seen no sign of depression or worry.
'She was emotionally pragmatic, in a way where she knew life didn't always give you roses,' Ms Frank said.
'She was loved by all who knew her. She was one of the most well-balanced people I knew. If she had a problem she'd meet with friends and vent and talk it through.'
Metropolitan Police officer Sgt James Lewis, of the emergency response unit at Charing Cross, said Miss Reddington-Romanov's fall into the water was witnessed by people who crowded round the spot on Westminster Bridge just after 3am on September 21.
The government's security CCTV control centre was alerted too when the crowd was spotted peering into the darkened waters by operators.
Sgt Lewis said officers were on scene by 3.28am, two marine units were ordered as well as a police helicopter which was later stood down.
'Natasha couldn't be seen,' he said.
'It was a fast-moving tide.'
He said the body of a man dressed in women's clothing resurfaced eight hours later and attempts to identify the individual began.
Meanwhile Miss Reddington-Romanov was reported missing when she didn't turn up for work as usual that Tuesday.
A huge search operation which included appeals went out, explaining that she had last been seen between Greek Street and Bateman Street in Soho at around 2am as she headed to her home south of the river in Southwark.
Sgt Lewis recovered CCTV footage of what happened from several angles but it was jumpy and didn't cover the exact moment the 55-year-old fell.
'She put her handbag on the ground and she reached over, she climbed over the bridge,' he added.
'Unfortunately the footage itself was jumpy.
'All you can see is Natasha climbing onto the side of the bridge and all of a sudden she wasn't there.'
Coroner Mr Rogers said the 'critical nanomoments' were missing, adding: 'It doesn't help me identify whether she jumped or fell.'
However the transwoman wasn't attacked or injured and third party involvement was ruled out, he went on.
A post mortem examination showed that she had bruising to the forehead, most likely from striking a parapet on the way down, and had suffered a heart attack when in the water.
Aside from river water in the lungs and stomach, there were no other injuries and the cause of death was given as drowning.
A toxicology report showed Miss Reddington-Romanov was significantly intoxicated with a blood ethanol reading of 211mg per 100ml of blood. The legal limit for driving is 80mg.
Readings of between 200mg and 300mg per 100ml of blood are consistent with a comatose state, however the coroner said that post mortem redistribution of alcohol occurs, meaning he could not be sure how drunk she had been when she fell.
The 55-year-old was well known in Soho for her vibrant dress sense.
After her death, Trisha's put up a tribute to her on Instagram, saying: 'Our Natasha Reddington-Romanov. Soho icon, showgirl, forever and always in our hearts.
'There will never be another one like you and the streets of Soho forever less glamorous. We love you so very very much.
'It is beyond words to express how much insurmountable gratitude I personally have for everyone who has helped us search for her and showed the outpouring of love and support she deserved.
'Thank you with all my heart.'
Recording a conclusion of accidental death, Mr Rogers said: 'Natasha enjoyed her life and cared for others. She had many friends and was valued in her working life.
'She was not known as someone who was depressed or struggled with life. She had been out for dinner with a friend that night and the friend also saw nothing out of the ordinary.
'Natasha was walking back in the early hours, she was unsteady and walking more slowly than usual. She stopped and lifted her leg over the parapet and then she was gone.
'Ms Frank described a previous occasion when Natasha had lifted her leg in a similar way wearing undergarments which made it more difficult with her male genitalia.
'She said she saw that same movement on the CCTV. Natasha was significantly intoxicated when she entered the river. She sometimes performed this awkward manouvre to urinate when drunk.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
a few seconds ago
- The Independent
Failures by senior care home staff led to murder of teenage girl, coroner says
Serious failings by senior managers allowed a teenager fascinated by necrophilia to murder an 18-year-old woman in a Bristol care home, a coroner has concluded in a scathing judgment. 'Reckless conduct at a senior manager level' led to Jason Conroy strangling Melissa Mathieson at the Alexandra House care home in Bristol in October 2014. Maria Voisin, the senior coroner for Avon, said there was a 'catalogue of failures' at the venue, which provided residential care for adults with autism and Asperger's syndrome. Conroy, now aged 28, was jailed for life for the sexually motivated killing. Avon Coroner's Court heard how he once tried to strangle a teacher so he could abuse her and had also attempted to kill his mother. Conroy, originally from Guernsey, moved to Bristol from a boarding school in the Midlands following the incident with the teacher. The school had commissioned a report from a forensic psychologist which concluded that he posed a physical risk to others because of his sexualised behaviour. They warned the managers of Alexandra House about the risk, but this was not reflected in his care plans, which only listed basic information. The directors of the company which ran the home later pleaded guilty to a health and safety offence and were fined £125,000. Ms Voisin said the conduct of senior managers at Alexandra House in failing to understand the danger Conroy posed to others amounted to a 'gross breach of duty'. 'This I consider to be reckless conduct at senior management level,' she said. 'The support plan and risk assessment drafted by Alexandra House's senior management was not sufficient to protect Melissa. 'The risk was, and should have been obvious, to Alexandra House from the school care plan and risk assessment, the numerous meetings before Jason's placement began, the Grant report, the concerns raised by staff and the concerns raised by Melissa herself, who was frightened of him. 'Based on the evidence, it was the gross breach of Alexandra House's duty of care to Melissa that caused her death, as it allowed a known dangerous young man who was under no supervision at the time the opportunity to murder her.' In a narrative conclusion, the coroner said Miss Mathieson 'died as a result of unlawful killing caused by both the act of strangulation and also due to the acts and omissions by the home entrusted with her care'. 'The home failed Melissa in numerous ways,' she said. 'The resident who went on to strangle her, should not have been placed in the same facility as Melissa at all based on his known risks. 'The decision was wrongly made to place him in the same facility with an ineffective care plan and risk assessment, with staff that were not trained on his level of risk, and managers who failed to act when concerns were highlighted by staff and Melissa.' Support workers at the home told the inquest they did not know about his history of predatory sexual behaviour. Several staff told the hearing they would never have been alone with Conroy if they knew of the risk he posed to others, and described reporting their concerns to supervisors. Miss Mathieson, who was from Windsor, Berkshire, had been sent to Alexandra House by social services when she turned 18, having spent the previous two years in a series of different placements. In a letter written before her death, Miss Mathieson blamed social services for 'destroying' her life. Titled Social Services Have Destroyed My Life, she wrote: 'This was a terrible time for me, and I felt like I was dragged away from my home and everything I knew and being completely disrupted. 'They never took into consideration my age or the distance from my family. I was still a child, just very confused.' The letter was read to the court as part of the written evidence of Miss Mathieson's mother, Karen, who died from cancer a year after her daughter's death. Mrs Mathieson said 'the system' had failed her daughter and had also failed Conroy. 'Not only has Jason Conroy ended Melissa's life, but he has also ended his own. He should have had his problems addressed a long time ago,' she said. 'The system has failed him, and it has failed Melissa. 'We question the professionals who have had the responsibility for his care, as much as we do of those who had a responsibility for Melissa's care.' Miss Mathieson's father, James, said he felt 'helpless' because he and his wife had not been listened to by social services. 'Karen and I blame Jason Conroy for our daughter's death,' he said. 'But at the same time, how can we blame him when he had said what he was going to do to professionals and was allowed to carry it out. 'We blame the people who put him there with Melissa.' Speaking after the inquest, Mr Mathieson said: 'My daughter should still be here today and I miss her terribly. 'She was a wonderful, warm person with an infectious personality that lightened any room she entered. 'Alexandra Homes let down both Melissa, and Jason Conroy. He should never have been given the opportunity to murder Melissa. 'It was well known that he was at extremely high risk of murdering someone, particularly petite females, and he should never have been allowed to wander a care home, unsupervised. 'Care home providers, social services and governing bodies have a duty of care to every one of their residents.' Family solicitor Joseph Morgan, from law firm Bindmans, added: 'The coroner's findings are utterly damning. 'They reflect the gravity of the failures of the management of Alexandra Homes, who were ultimately responsible for the welfare of their residents. 'In essence, they welcomed a known sexual predator into their care home with no risk management plan, at the same time as admitting a young woman who matched his known victim profile. 'Even with these failures, the coroner's conclusion rightfully acknowledges the role Guernsey played in Melissa's death through their woeful handling of Jason Conroy's transition to Alexandra Homes. 'It is desperately tragic that a young woman was deprived of her life as a result of these catastrophic, multi-agency failures.' More about care home Bristol murder autism staff
The Sun
a minute ago
- The Sun
Putin's cyber spooks who hacked Skripal's family in series of attacks are unmasked by British intel chiefs
RUSSIAN spies who led a series of attacks on Britain have been exposed by UK intelligence chiefs. Whitehall has imposed sanctions on Vladimir Putin's spooks responsible for years of hacking and other actions in the UK. 3 The measures target three GRU military intelligence units and 18 spooks — two of whom were accused of hacking the phone of defector Sergei Skripal's daughter. Ivan Yermakov and Aleksey Lukashev — both wanted by the FBI — are said to have targeted Yulia five years before Russia poisoned her and her dad with nerve agent Novichok in Salisbury in 2018. Others hit with sanctions are believed to be behind bombings and arson attacks in Britain and Europe in retaliation for support for Ukraine. They face a range of restrictions such as having financial assets frozen. Foreign Secretary David Lammy said: 'GRU spies are running a campaign to destabilise Europe, undermine Ukraine's sovereignty and threaten the safety of British citizens. "The Kremlin should be in no doubt; we see what they are trying to do in the shadows and won't tolerate it.' involved in shipping aid to Ukraine, on the orders of Russia's Wagner Group mercenaries. Spy chiefs are also probing if Russian agents were behind an incendiary device that ignited at a DHL hub in Birmingham last year. Similar incidents have been reported across Europe. 3 3
BBC News
a minute ago
- BBC News
Dog who helped police Queen's funeral dies in crash
A police dog who took part in Queen Elizabeth II's funeral has died following a car crash, his force has Bert, a five-year-old springer spaniel belonging to Cleveland Police, was in a dog support unit vehicle with an officer and another dog when it collided with a BMW in Hartlepool at around 21:00 BST on dogs were taken to the vet, where due to the severity of his injuries, PD Bert was put to sleep, the force said. The other dog was found to be unharmed and the officer suffered minor injuries. A 33-year-old man was arrested following the incident and has been charged with drink driving, but police said it was continuing to investigate the "full circumstances".The suspect has since been bailed and is due to appear at Teesside Magistrates' Court on August Bert had served with Cleveland Police as a sniffer dog for three-and-a-half years, tasked with detecting drugs, cash and was praised by the force for once using his sense of smell to locate £250,000 in a single along with the other dog and their police handler, had been responding to an emergency incident when the crash Bert was deployed to London in September 2022 as part of the policing operation around the late Queen's funeral, when an estimated one million people attended to watch the procession through the capital.
