Woman ‘deliberately laid down’ in middle of major Sheffield road, court hears

Samantha Duxbury, of Fox Walk, Sheffield, died on Friday, January 11, 2019, on Langsett Road after as she was returning home from a night out at the Travellers’ Rest pub in Oughtibridge with her partner, Darren Leek.

At around 8.30 that night, 31-year-old Ms Duxbury was hit by a black Suburu WRX STi, suffering multiple serious injuries and being pronounced dead at the scene a short time later.

The court heard Ms Duxbury and Mr Leek had a turbulent and occasionally violent relationship, with the 51-year-old originally being arrested on suspicion of her murder.

However, after an extensive police investigation, detectives concluded that there was nothing suspicious about her death and no evidence of third party involvement.

An inquest into Ms Duxbury’s death at Sheffield Coroners’ Court on Friday, May 22, heard evidence from the investigating officer in the case, DC Marnie Walker.

She said their investigation had found evidence in Samantha’s medical records and in witness statements that she had laid down in the road on at least four previous occasions.

She said: “Her GP said she had frequent thoughts of suicide and witnesses said a week before she passed away she had sat down in the road wanting to die.”

A postmortem examination of Samantha’s body found she had a blood-alcohol level 320mg at the time she died, or four times the legal drink-drive limit.

In recording a conclusion of misadventure, assistant coroner Katie Dickinson said: “It is clear she intended to lay in the road but it is not clear she intended that outcome because of her previous attempts and not carrying it through.

“I don’t think she intended to die, I think she wanted attention. She was sad and wanted help.”

The coroner also sent her condolences to the family of the driver of the Suburu, Stuart Linley, who has sadly since died, reassuring them he was in no way to blame for the ‘terrible incident’.