Latest news with #SabrinaLyttle
The Irish Sun
a day ago
- The Irish Sun
Mum-of-two lay dead in restaurant toilet for two days before ‘staff finally peeked through keyhole and saw body'
A MUM-of-two lay dead in a restaurant toilet for two days before staff finally looked through a keyhole and saw her body, an inquest heard. Sabrina Lyttle, 47, was discovered lifeless inside a disabled cubicle at the Gurkha Hotel Pub and Restaurant in Blackpool. 4 Sabrina Lyttle lay dead in a restaurant toilet for two days Credit: SWNS 4 Staff found her after looking through the keyhole Credit: MEN Media An inquest heard she likely died shortly after entering the toilet on the evening of November 28. Police forced their way in but found no evidence Sabrina had been attacked or that someone else was involved. She had recently been released from an eight-week prison sentence for theft and may have gone inside to keep warm, it was said. Toxicology results showed cocaine, Valium, methadone and a small amount of alcohol in her system. Read more news Consultant forensic pathologist Dr Richard Shepherd said Sabrina showed no signs of serious illness. But he did warn her reduced drug tolerance following prison could have contributed to her death. Dr Shepherd added: "A period in prison - even one as short as this - and the non use of a drug like cocaine can see tolerance levels decrease extremely rapidly." The court was told a crack pipe was found on the toilet floor beside Sabrina along with a magazine and some cherry Bakewell tarts. Most read in The Sun Det Insp Liam Davy, who carried out the initial enquires into the death, said: "My hypothesis at the time was she possibly entered the toilet to keep warm and that her death was caused by the drugs or because of a medical episode. "There was no evidence of outside involvement." The restaurant said at the time of Sabrina's death all the toilets were cleaned regularly but the disabled facility was only cleaned after it had been used. However, no one asked to use it until the day the mum-of-two's body was found. The inquest heard there were several agencies dealing with vulnerable people like Sabrina - Blackpool Horizon, Lancashire Women and Changing Futures - who all tried to help her. She was met at the prison gates upon her released on November 27 and accommodation had been arranged for her in a hotel. Coroner Margaret Taylor described Sabrina as "a popular and likeable woman despite her problems". She recorded a verdict of death by mixed drug toxicity. Ms Taylor told Sabrina's family: "If we apply common sense it would seem she died shortly after going into the toilet because there is no evidence she tried to come out. "I understand your concerns but there is a very high possibility that nothing could have been done to save her even if she was found earlier." 4 Police ruled out any third party involvement Credit: SWNS 4 Sabrina had just been released from prison Credit: SWNS
Scottish Sun
a day ago
- Scottish Sun
Mum-of-two lay dead in restaurant toilet for two days before ‘staff finally peeked through keyhole and saw body'
TRAGIC DISCOVERY Mum-of-two lay dead in restaurant toilet for two days before 'staff finally peeked through keyhole and saw body' Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A MUM-of-two lay dead in a restaurant toilet for two days before staff finally looked through a keyhole and saw her body, an inquest heard. Sabrina Lyttle, 47, was discovered lifeless inside a disabled cubicle at the Gurkha Hotel Pub and Restaurant in Blackpool. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 Sabrina Lyttle lay dead in a restaurant toilet for two days Credit: SWNS 4 Staff found her after looking through the keyhole Credit: MEN Media An inquest heard she likely died shortly after entering the toilet on the evening of November 28. Police forced their way in but found no evidence Sabrina had been attacked or that someone else was involved. She had recently been released from an eight-week prison sentence for theft and may have gone inside to keep warm, it was said. Toxicology results showed cocaine, Valium, methadone and a small amount of alcohol in her system. Consultant forensic pathologist Dr Richard Shepherd said Sabrina showed no signs of serious illness. But he did warn her reduced drug tolerance following prison could have contributed to her death. Dr Shepherd added: "A period in prison - even one as short as this - and the non use of a drug like cocaine can see tolerance levels decrease extremely rapidly." The court was told a crack pipe was found on the toilet floor beside Sabrina along with a magazine and some cherry Bakewell tarts. Det Insp Liam Davy, who carried out the initial enquires into the death, said: "My hypothesis at the time was she possibly entered the toilet to keep warm and that her death was caused by the drugs or because of a medical episode. "There was no evidence of outside involvement." The restaurant said at the time of Sabrina's death all the toilets were cleaned regularly but the disabled facility was only cleaned after it had been used. However, no one asked to use it until the day the mum-of-two's body was found. The inquest heard there were several agencies dealing with vulnerable people like Sabrina - Blackpool Horizon, Lancashire Women and Changing Futures - who all tried to help her. She was met at the prison gates upon her released on November 27 and accommodation had been arranged for her in a hotel. Coroner Margaret Taylor described Sabrina as "a popular and likeable woman despite her problems". She recorded a verdict of death by mixed drug toxicity. Ms Taylor told Sabrina's family: "If we apply common sense it would seem she died shortly after going into the toilet because there is no evidence she tried to come out. "I understand your concerns but there is a very high possibility that nothing could have been done to save her even if she was found earlier." 4 Police ruled out any third party involvement Credit: SWNS
The Sun
a day ago
- The Sun
Mum-of-two lay dead in restaurant toilet for two days before ‘staff finally peeked through keyhole and saw body'
A MUM-of-two lay dead in a restaurant toilet for two days before staff finally looked through a keyhole and saw her body, an inquest heard. Sabrina Lyttle, 47, was discovered lifeless inside a disabled cubicle at the Gurkha Hotel Pub and Restaurant in Blackpool. 4 4 An inquest heard she likely died shortly after entering the toilet on the evening of November 28. Police forced their way in but found no evidence Sabrina had been attacked or that someone else was involved. She had recently been released from an eight-week prison sentence for theft and may have gone inside to keep warm, it was said. Toxicology results showed cocaine, Valium, methadone and a small amount of alcohol in her system. Consultant forensic pathologist Dr Richard Shepherd said Sabrina showed no signs of serious illness. But he did warn her reduced drug tolerance following prison could have contributed to her death. Dr Shepherd added: "A period in prison - even one as short as this - and the non use of a drug like cocaine can see tolerance levels decrease extremely rapidly." The court was told a crack pipe was found on the toilet floor beside Sabrina along with a magazine and some cherry Bakewell tarts. Det Insp Liam Davy, who carried out the initial enquires into the death, said: "My hypothesis at the time was she possibly entered the toilet to keep warm and that her death was caused by the drugs or because of a medical episode. "There was no evidence of outside involvement." The restaurant said at the time of Sabrina's death all the toilets were cleaned regularly but the disabled facility was only cleaned after it had been used. However, no one asked to use it until the day the mum-of-two's body was found. The inquest heard there were several agencies dealing with vulnerable people like Sabrina - Blackpool Horizon, Lancashire Women and Changing Futures - who all tried to help her. She was met at the prison gates upon her released on November 27 and accommodation had been arranged for her in a hotel. Coroner Margaret Taylor described Sabrina as "a popular and likeable woman despite her problems". She recorded a verdict of death by mixed drug toxicity. Ms Taylor told Sabrina's family: "If we apply common sense it would seem she died shortly after going into the toilet because there is no evidence she tried to come out. "I understand your concerns but there is a very high possibility that nothing could have been done to save her even if she was found earlier." 4 4
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Tragic reason why mum went into restaurant toilet and lay dead for three days
Mum-of-two Sabrina Lyttle, 47, lay dead inside a disabled toilet at a hotel in Blackpool - with staff finally calling the police after noticing her body through the keyhole three days later A woman who lay dead in a locked restaurant toilet for three days may have gone inside to 'keep warm', an inquest has heard. Mum -of-two Sabrina Lyttle, 47, was found lifeless inside a disabled cubicle at the Gurkha Hotel Pub and Restaurant in Blackpool, almost 48 hours after she was last seen entering it. Staff only realised something was wrong when they looked through the keyhole and noticed a body. Police forced open the door on November 30 and found a crack pipe on the floor next to her, along with a magazine, a carrier bag and some Bakewell cherry tarts. Detective Inspector Liam Davy, who investigated the death, told the hearing: 'My hypothesis at the time was she possibly entered the toilet to keep warm and that her death was caused by the drugs or because of a medical episode. There was no evidence of outside involvement.' Sabrina had likely died shortly after entering the toilet on the evening of November 28. She had recently served three weeks of an eight-week prison sentence for theft and was known to have struggled with drug use. Toxicology results showed cocaine, Valium, methadone and a small amount of alcohol in her system. According to consultant forensic pathologist Dr Richard Shepherd, her body showed no signs of serious illness but he warned that her reduced drug tolerance following prison could have contributed to her death. 'It is really difficult to tell because it all depends on her tolerance to these drugs,' he told the court. 'A period in prison - even one as short as this - and the non use of a drug like cocaine can see tolerance levels decrease extremely rapidly.' Sabrina's family wept in court as they learned of the details. Her daughter Jade Casey, 27, and mother Christine, 68, said they were still unsure why she had gone into the toilet that night. Friend Erika Zazzu, who set up a GoFundMe appeal in her memory, described her as 'a person who was in pain and who dealt with that pain as best she could.', as well as a loving mum to two daughters. Staff from the Gurkha restaurant attended the inquest but did not give evidence. At the time of her death, the restaurant said they believed she must have picked the lock to get into the toilet, which they claimed is only cleaned after use - and had not been used again until she was found.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Daily Mail
Mother, 47, who lay dead in disabled toilet for nearly three days 'went inside cubicle to keep warm' after being released from prison, inquest told
A woman found dead inside a restaurant toilet after almost three days is believed to have entered the cubicle to try to keep warm, an inquest heard. Sabrina Lyttle, 47, probably died shortly after entering the disabled facility at 8.38 on the evening of November 28 last year, a coroner was told. She was not discovered until November 30, when alarmed staff looked through the keyhole and saw a body, the court was told. Police were called to the Gurkha Hotel Pub and Restaurant in Blackpool, Lancashire and forced entry only to discover she was already dead. There was no evidence that she had been attacked or that someone else was involved. Her family wept as the inquest in the seaside town today heard that Sabrina was a prolific drug user who had just served three weeks of an eight-week prison sentence for theft. A crack pipe was found on the toilet floor beside her and blood tests revealed she had cocaine, Valium, methadone and a small amount of alcohol in her system. She was said to have lived a "chaotic" lifestyle although she was loved by many people who tried to help her. Consultant forensic pathologist Dr Richard Shepherd said her body showed no signs of any serious illness. He believed the methadone might have affected her lung capacity, while the cocaine might have caused her heart to fail. He said: 'It is really difficult to tell because it all depends on her tolerance to these drugs. 'A period in prison - even one as short as this - and the non use of a drug like cocaine can see tolerance levels decrease extremely rapidly.' Det Insp Liam Davy, who carried out the initial enquires into the death, said he had known Sabrina since his days as an officer in the beat. He revealed that alongside the crack pipe was a carrier bag in which there was a magazine and some Bakewell cherry tarts. DI Davy said: 'My hypothesis at the time was she possibly entered the toilet to keep warm and that her death was caused by the drugs or because of a medical episode. 'There was no evidence of outside involvement.' The inquest heard there were several agencies dealing with vulnerable people like Sabrina - Blackpool Horizon, Lancashire Women and Changing Futures - who all tried to help her. She was even met at the prison gates when she was freed on November 27th, the day before she is believed to have died. Accommodation had been arranged for her at a Blackpool hotel and she had further appointments to try and help her overcome her addiction problems. Coroner Margaret Taylor - who described Sabrina as 'a popular and likeable woman despite her problems' - recorded a verdict of death by mixed drug toxicity. She told Sabrina's family: 'If we apply common sense it would seem she died shortly after going into the toilet because there is no evidence she tried to come out. 'I understand your concerns but there is a very high possibility that nothing could have been done to save her even if she was found earlier.' More than £1,300 was raised online, with the money going towards Sabrina's funeral costs as well as the drug and alcohol support service Horizon Staff from the Gurkha attended the inquest but left immediately after it was over and did not give evidence. At the time of Sabrina's death, a spokesman for the restaurant told reporters she must have broken into the toilet by picking the lock. They said all the toilets were cleaned regularly but the disabled facility was only cleaned after it had been used and no one asked to use it until the day Sabrina's body was found. Sabrina's daughter Jade Casey, 27, previously told how Sabrina was discovered dead at the Gurkha Buffet Restaurant, Hotel and Bar in Blackpool, Lancashire. She and Sabrina's mother Christine, 68, say they are unsure why she went into the toilet. Her friend Erika Zazzu, who set up a GoFundMe online appeal on the family's behalf, described Sabrina as 'a person who was in pain and who dealt with that pain as best she could', as well as a loving mother to two daughters. Erika also told how Sabrina 'struggled with addiction throughout her life' and was only released from jail on November 27 before her body was found three days later. A GoFundMe appeal raised more than £1,300, with money going towards Sabrina's funeral as well as drug and alcohol support service Horizon. Erika wrote: 'Despite the many mistakes Sabrina made in her life, she was a mother, a daughter, a sister, and more. 'She was a person, a person who was in pain and dealt with that pain as best as she could. Sabrina took pride in knowing her greatest achievements were her two daughters, whom she adored and tried to get better for.' She described how Jade had spoken to her mother three weeks before her death, telling how Sabrina was 'determined to get sober again'. Erika wrote: 'Sabrina told Jade how much she loved her, and Jade held onto hope that this time things might change. Tragically, Sabrina didn't get better in time. 'Sabrina struggled with addiction throughout her life. She fought hard, but sadly, she lost her battle this week at the young age of 47. 'Although she faced many challenges and made many mistakes during her addiction, Sabrina didn't deserve to pass away the way she did. 'She fought hard for years but unfortunately her body was tired of fighting.' Erika said in her GoFundMe appeal how Jade wanted to honour her mother with 'the compassion and respect that was often missing during her lifetime and give her the funeral she deserves'. She added: 'Jade also hopes to donate a portion of the funds to Horizon, a drug and alcohol support service that supported Sabrina over the years in her fight against addiction and will be doing a collection for the service at the funeral.' Jade told how 'heartbroken' she felt, knowing her mother was in the restaurant's disabled toilet while people there were eating and drinking. She said: 'The police have told us that customers were complaining that they couldn't get into the toilet, but they assumed something had happened with the lock. They then opened up the disabled toilet and found her on the Saturday morning. 'I'm angry because she could have been found sooner, they should have done the usual toilet checks. It's heartbreaking because we know she was left in the cold, on her own. 'I know she was dead but it's the fact she was there while people were eating and drinking. 'We don't know the cause of death yet but there's part of us that thought she might have been struggling and needed help and then could have been saved.' Jade said that CCTV footage showed Sabrina entering the restaurant on November 28 last year and going into the disabled toilet. She said that they 'aren't sure' why she decided to go into the restaurant but police said that there were no drugs present Jade said: 'There weren't any drugs at the scene and CCTV footage showed her entering the building on the Thursday. 'We think she broke into the disabled toilet - we think she picked the lock to get in so she didn't have to ask for a key. 'We aren't sure of the circumstances of why she went in, it could have been to get warm because she had been released from prison the day before.' Jade, from Fleetwood in Lancashire, also paid tribute to her mother - hailing her as a 'really nice person' who was 'funny and kind'. Jade added: 'She suffered with addiction and she was in and out of homelessness for the last 25 years but she was a really nice person. She was funny and she was kind.' And in a Facebook tribute addressing her mother, Jade wrote: 'Despite what anyone might think they know about you, you were intelligent, you made everyone laugh, and you had a good heart and beautiful soul buried beneath all the trauma and addiction. Jade Casey, 27, posted this tribute to her mother Sabrina Lyttle on Facebook 'The drugs stripped you of all of the good parts and only left the bad for a long time but I know how hard you fought, for years, you fought so hard mum, but in the end the battle was too fierce.' After the tragedy, The Gurkha Restaurant, Hotel and Bar issued a statement , saying: 'On Thursday 28th November 2024 at 8.34pm, a non-customer member of the public entered the premises and asked to use the toilets. 'As the restaurant had already closed for the evening, directions to the pub toilets, which are in a separate area of the building, were given. 'Staff in the pub provided further directions to the general pub toilets and did not issue access to the disabled toilet. 'Access to the separate and locked disabled toilet is gained via staff as the facility cannot be opened with a RADAR key. 'The male and female toilets are deep-cleaned every morning and checked throughout the day, with the disabled toilet checked after every authorised use and cleaned as required, due to infrequent use. 'Access to the disabled toilet was not requested until Friday evening around 10pm. 'The staff with the assistance of other helpful pub customers were unable to unlock the door and as access had not been granted for the past 24 hours, it was reported as a maintenance issue to management. 'The following day on Saturday before opening, management was unable to gain access using all secure keys and removing the locking mechanism before alerting the police. 'We are aware of public posts that are full of information that is not correct, and we believe the speculations have not contributed positively to anyone affected, including the grieving family, the dedicated Gurkha staff and the community of Blackpool.'
