Mum’s death day after fraud letter

A mother was found dead the day after reading a letter suggesting she might face prosecution for alleged benefit fraud, an inquest has heard.

Five and a half years after the Lower Hutt woman’s death, her family say they cannot accept her death might have been selfinflicted.

‘‘[She] had plans and hopes and dreams,’’ her mother told the inquest, which started on Monday morning in Wellington.

The inquest involved the Ministry of Social Development and police, as well as several individuals

The 41-year-old mother was found dead on April 3, 2011. The day before, she opened a letter saying she was the subject of an MSD benefit fraud allegation.

The family claimed the MSD letter alleged some $22,000 was obtained by dubious means, but days later – by which time she was dead – this amount was downgraded to about $5000.

Some details of the MSD investigation and individuals involved were subject to interim suppression orders.

The late coroner Ian Smith oversaw an earlier inquest, but died before releasing his findings. with name suppression.

The new inquest before coroner AJ Tutton meant the parties would ‘‘not have matters hanging in the air’’ any longer, the family’s lawyer, Gordon Paine, told the court.

The woman’s mother and brother both appeared via audiovisual link from Manawatu. They argued the police investigation into her death was cursory, but senior detectives disputed that.

Her mother suggested there were insufficient forensic examinations, and said her daughter’s cellphone was not properly examined. She said some texts her daughter sent on April 2 that year were atypical of someone wanting to die.

The mother told Grant Burston, counsel for the coroner, she was not convinced nobody else was involved in her daughter’s death.

‘‘I don’t believe [she] would have not left a note for her children at least.’’

‘‘My sister was a very sensitive and caring person,’’ her brother added.

Among those to give evidence on Tuesday were Detective Senior Sergeant Mike Sears and Detective Inspector John Miller.

Paine’s cross-examination of the detectives included claims that police concluded too quickly that the death was self-inflicted.

He said a later review Miller conducted ended up with police ‘‘patting yourselves on the back’’, when further forensic investigation was needed all along.

‘‘It was a bad investigation. Do you accept that?’’ Paine asked Sears. ‘‘No,’’ was the response. Sears said all relevant medical information was assessed, the property examined, neighbours, family and medical practitioners spoken to, and ‘‘many inquiries were completed’’.

The detectives said it was not unusual for no note to be left in such cases.

Miller told the court there was little more Sears and other police could do, except maybe seizing one or two further objects from the house, which might not have been relevant anyway.

Two other detectives involved in the case received a ‘‘large amount of correspondence’’ from the family, he added.

Like Sears, he said nothing he had heard lately changed his view about the cause of death.

The questioning ended with a short exchange between Paine and Miller.

‘‘I put it to you there was no investigation done,’’ the lawyer said.

‘‘You obviously haven’t been listening,’’ the detective responded.

Paine said Miller’s evidence was ‘‘particularly unhelpful’’.

The hearing continues.