Interior designer, 38, 'took own life after using ketamine to help with anxiety'
TRAGIC LOSS
Mum had split with her partner and was struggling to cope, court told
Holly Christodoulou , Digital Court Editor Published : 10:45, 7 May 2025
Updated : 10:46, 7 May 2025
A TALENTED interior designer took her own life in the garden after using ketamine to help cope with her anxiety, an inquest heard.
Emma Neame, 38, may have been hallucinating at the time of the tragedy in Thornton Heath, South London.
5 Emma Neame was found dead in her back garden Credit: Instagram/Emma Neame
The interior designer had split with the father of her twins and was suffering with mounting financial pressure and bulimia.
South London Coroner's Court heard Emma had also struggled with her mental health from the age of 17.
At the end of 2022, the mum upped her intake of recreational drugs including ketamine, which lost her friends and left her feeling isolated.
But she had attended a drug walk in clinic to try and get help for her substance abuse problems.
Her mum Marina Neame said: 'She had difficulty with finances and she had reluctantly moved to Thornton Heath.
'She was co-parenting and felt lonely at times.
'I was aware that Emma took recreational drugs and as of the end of 2022 she had been using drugs more.
'She had explained that she had given up on her relationship with her former partner and she was using drugs more to deal with her loneliness and depression , and her relationship had broken down with friends.
'She wanted to return home to Kent but it was difficult because of the situation with her children.'
The inquest was told Emma had previously attempted to take her own life - including in January 2023 when she took alcohol and cocaine.
She had phoned an ambulance for herself and was referred to South London and Maudsley mental health services.
The court heard in February 2024, Emma visited her mum in France and said things were looking up.
But the following month, the designer spoke to Marina on the phone complaining of a sore throat and temperature.
In the week before she died, Emma had stayed with her grandmother, Mary Towndrow, who said her physical health was "deteriorating".
She said: "She had problems with her bladder and bowel which were causing her pain.
'Her interior design business was running into difficulty in terms of debt.
'She was overwhelmed.'
The court heard on March 12, 2024, Emma spoke with her former partner Simon Mortlock.
When he tried to phone her the following morning and received no response, Simon went to her home.
Emma's door was open and there were drugs on the side of the kitchen counter.
Simon discovered the mum in the garden and attempted CPR but she was already dead.
Her cause of death was given as suspension, with a toxicology report finding Emma had drunk alcohol and taken ketamine and cocaine prior to her death.
She also had a medication in her system that is often prescribed to treat anxiety.
Assistant coroner Laura Stephenson said she would not record a verdict of suicide as Emma's intentions were not clear.
She instead ruled a narrative verdict and said ketamine can cause hallucinogenic effects.
The coroner added: "Emma had shared that she had been taking ketamine and [medication] to cope with her issues, in particular her loneliness at that time, but her mother said she left feeling more positive about her future and she was speaking to a drug team.
'I find it is likely that the substances I have referred to, particularly ketamine, would have significantly impaired her thinking and I'm not satisfied Emma wanted to take her own life at that time.
'She died by suspension at a time when she was experiencing the effects of ketamine and cocaine.'
If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans for free on 116123.
5 Emma had been struggling to cope after splitting with the dad of her children Credit: Instagram/Emma Neame
5 The interior designer had used drugs to help with her anxiety Credit: Facebook/Emma Neame
5 Emma ran her own successful interior design company Credit: Instagram/Emma Neame
5 The mum had attended a drug walk in clinic to try to get help Credit: Instagram/Emma Neame
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