Mum found dead with daughter feared losing her

BBC News

5 days ago

A mother who was found dead alongside her disabled daughter in their home had repeatedly refused support from local services, an inquest has heard.The bodies of Alphonsine Djiako Leuga, 47, and 18-year-old Loraine Choulla were found on 21 May 2024 in a house in Hartley Road in Radford, Nottingham, though it was believed they had been dead for some time before they were discovered. Nottingham Coroner's Court heard they had moved into their council home in June 2019 following a homelessness application.But in the years before her death, Alphonsine's engagement with housing and social services dwindled and she feared her youngest daughter would be taken away.
The inquest, which started on Monday, heard how Alphonsine had called 999 from her house in February, pleading for an ambulance and saying she could not move.But after the call was mistakenly considered an abandoned call and closed, nobody attended.Alphonsine's medical cause of death was proposed as pneumonia while her daughter's was "unascertained".On Tuesday, the court heard how in the years she lived in Hartley Road, Alphonsine started to refuse access to her property from housing services and other social care agencies.
Alphonsine had been in the property since 2019 and initially engaged with council services.In a statement read to the court, assistant director for tenancy and estate services at Nottingham City Council, Kathy Sheldon, said after 2021 "access to the property became more difficult".Several inspections were missed and as a result the gas supply to the property was capped in 2023. In October that year Alphonsine asked the city council for the gas to be turned back on, but did not grant access to her property for that to happen, the inquest was told. That meant from 2023 the house had no hot water and no heating. The court also heard how Loraine, who had Down's Syndrome and learning disabilities, stopped attending her SEN school from 2022, after her mother asked for her placement to be terminated.Concerns had been raised by the school between 2021 and 2022 about her daughter's low attendance.Alphonsine also refused help with Loraine's college applications and in September 2022 Loraine was "formally [considered] not in education, employment, or training", the inquest heard.It was told there was also a lack of engagement with support from the city council's Whole Life Disability Team, which provides specialist social care to children.Neil Brettel, a city council SEND director, said in a statement: "Loraine was trying to engage with professionals but Alphonsine was trying to prevent her from doing so."During a conversation with Alphonsine, she expressed that she was really worried about Loraine."He added Alphonsine expressed fear that the specialist social care workers would "take Loraine away from her".
Alphonsine, who was originally from Cameroon, moved from Italy - where her two daughters were born - to the UK in September 2016.All three were housed in Hartley Road by the council in 2019 but her eldest daughter, Elvira Choulla, moved out of the property in April 2022.In a statement to police which was read to the court, Elvira said after July 2023, her contact with her mother became less frequent.That month, Alphonsine took Loraine on holiday to Africa, not telling Elvira until they had arrived, which she said upset her.She added her mother travelled a lot - usually to Italy or Cameroon - and "usually for long periods of time"Of her sister's education, Elvira said: "Initially Loraine attended school all the time and loved it, but eventually Alphonsine believed Loraine was being neglected at school."
'Truly loving mother'
Her last contact with Loraine was in November 2023, after Elvira visited her sister and mother for a family dinner."We had a lovely time and we had a lovely meal and I got to see Loraine and Alphonsine together," she said.But going forward, their contact was further limited and when Elvira visited the house in early 2024, she said the house was "in darkness and there were no signs of life" inside. She was later told by a friend that her mum and sister had been seen in February.Her friend advised her against contacting the police over concerns about their whereabouts. The final time she attempted to contact Alphonsine or Loraine was in April. "Loraine and I had an amazing relationship and she was, and still is, my best friend," Elvira said. "I loved Loraine and every time I was with her I could tell she loved me too.Elvira added of her mother: "We had a strained relationship at points, however she took great care of Loraine and was very patient and very understanding, and was a truly loving mother."The inquest continues.