A woman did not mean to kill herself when she fell to her death from Chelmsford's multi-storey car park, an inquest has heard.

Loraine Roberts, 38, of Dixon Road, Chelmsford, died in Broomfield Hospital after falling from level nine of the car park into Victoria Road South on August 12 last year.

A post mortem examination found she died of severe internal haemorrhaging due to liver lacerations, caused by fractured ribs sustained in a fall from a height.

The level of alcohol in her body was 190mgs of alcohol in 100mls of blood, more than double the legal drink-drive limit of 80mgs.

An inquest in Chelmsford heard yesterday that police had been called to the same location several times over the previous month to talk Mrs Roberts away from the edge. She had suffered from psychiatric problems since 1995.

PC Mark Edwards said as he approached Mrs Roberts, she swung both legs over the edge of the parapet, but did not say she was going to jump.

Inspector Chris Macintosh said he heard a loud scrabbling sound before she vanished over the edge.

Mrs Roberts' mother, Margaret Robinson, thanked the police for their actions but said her daughter had not received an adequate level of care.

Essex Coroner Caroline Beasley-Murray recorded a verdict of accidental death

Published Thursday November 20, 2003

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