A 38- year old woman’s “mummified and almost skeletal” dead body lay unnoticed in her social housing flat for more than three years. As per inquest, she had written in her diary that she was starving and running out of food. The vulnerable woman’s family had raised concerns about her two months prior she was discovered.
According to The Guardian, Laura Winham, who was deaf and had schizophrenia, was discovered in her Woking flat by her brother in May 2021, after her family asked police to break in.Her family, whom she had previously asked not to contact her, claimed she was “abandoned and left to die” by social and mental health services.
A pathologist told the inquest at Surrey Coroner’s Court this week that determining an exact time of death was impossible. However, the court heard that a calendar in Winham’s flathead dates marked off until 1 November 2017. She was running low on food and money according to extracts from her diary, which were read out by coroner Karen Henderson on Thursday.
An entry dated 28 September 2017 read: “My mobile gave up on 7 September. I got a Tesco run in before it died. I have slept weeks away … I haven’t stocked any food for months because I don’t know what’s happening.”
Another extract from October 2017 said, “It has been a whole month since my last food shop. I cannot believe I have survived this long.”
Other extracts hinted that she had been living off potatoes and cheese and had almost about £5 left on her.
An extract from 15 September 2017 said: “Wish I’d bought rice. Dreaming of [food]. Anyway, I’m starving.”
It was previously revealed by the inquest that Winham’s family could not stay in contact with her after years of mental health struggles caused her to believe they would harm her.
Luke Addams, Surrey Council’s director of practice, assurance, and safeguarding, told the inquest that a council representative should have attempted an in-person visit to Winham rather than relying on letters for communication. A Woking Council official also acknowledged that Winham’s vulnerabilities should have been reported to the company managing the council’s housing stock at the time.
The inquest on Wednesday, heard that she was contacted by the Department for Work and Pensions in February 2016 asking her to claim for the new personal independence payment, which replaced the disability living allowance (DLA).
The court heard that Winham was informed she might need to attend a medical assessment. In response, she wrote to the Woking Council, expressing her alarm, stating: “I have only lived on my savings and DLA benefit.” However, these concerns were not forwarded to the DWP.
The inquest also heard that policies have been changed by Woking borough council and Surrey county since Winham’s death.