‘Lovely’ Sheffield woman sectioned nine times over her life found dead on Christmas Eve

Suzanne Cochrane was found dead at her property on Empire Road in Nether Edge on December 24, last year.

The cause of the 44-year-old’s passing was unascertained by coroner Mrs T Rawden, following an inconclusive post-mortem examination presented to the court yesterday (Wednesday, November 5) at the Medico-Legal Centre.

Professor Simon Kim Suvarna, a consultant histopathologist at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, told the court how there was no clear medical cause surrounding her death.

Suzanne had a background of psychological issues such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia and had previously been in hospital after attempting to take her own life, Mr Suvarna said.

While the 44-year-old who died suddenly, was on mood stabiliser medication such as lithium and depot injections, the post-mortem did not not identify a clear cause of her death, the inquest heard.

Robert Francis Allen, a mental health nurse at Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust, who first met Suzanne in September, 2020 after she had been discharged from hospital, said services had struggled to get in touch with the 44-year-old in the weeks leading up to her death.

Suzanne, who had been known to services since the 1990s, refused to referred to answer the door or phone to members of the mental health team, Mr Allen told the court.

The inquest heard how mental health nurse and his team made several phone calls and home visits to the 44-year-old from September to the days leading up to her death, but were frequently ignored.

Mr Allen told the coroner how the team successfully obtained a warrant from Sheffield Magistrates Court under the Mental Health Act on December 20, after she refused to let professionals enter her home.

Suzanne’s was found dead at her home in Nether Edge by her family on December 24, before the warrant could be used, the inquest heard.

The Sheffield nurse said in court: “I do keep questioning whether I should have referred her sooner for a Mental Health assessment but I don’t know what that would have done.

“Sometimes people make choices not to progress with us but we have to respect that is a decision that people sometimes make.

“When I did meet Suzie she was an absolutely lovely lady and the staff at Burbage were really fond of her.”

The 44-year-old had been sectioned under the Mental Health Act nine times during the course of her life.

Police had previously issued an appeal to help find Suzanne on Friday, May 3, 2019 after she absconded from the Northern General Hospital, where she had been sectioned, the inquest heard.

A statement from officers said there was no evidence of forced entry into her property or any evidence to suggest Suzanne had taken her own life.

Coroner Mrs T Rawden concluded: “It can’t be said how she came by her death and there wasn’t anything that was a medical or clear cause of death.

“It is an open conclusion.”

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