Daughter of the Deputy Speaker killed herself after ‘toxic relationship’
tHe daughter of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons killed herself after becoming involved in a ‘toxic relationship’, an inquest heard.
Natalie lewis-Hoyle suffered ‘bruises and fat lips’ and ‘ psychological torment’, her mother told the hearing.
the 28-year-old was found hanged at the home she shared with her mother shortly before Christmas last year.
Her parents, Sir lindsay Hoyle, the labour MP for Chorley in lancashire, and Miriam lewis, a Conservative councillor, believe she received a phone call the previous evening which affected her state of mind.
Miss lewis-Hoyle’s partner was not named during the hearing yesterday but the coroner was told the relationship was ending and police had been called the month before her death after an alleged assault, although no one was arrested.
Both her parents, who are no longer together, complained that police concluded there was no ‘third-party involvement’ in her death on December 15.
Mrs lewis told the inquest in Chelmsford, essex: ‘it’s my firm conviction there was an assault on the 23rd [ of November] which was as the relationship was really deteriorating. it was a very toxic relationship.’
fighting back tears, she added: ‘When someone is in psychologi- cal torment you don’t get the bruises and fat lips and black eyes.
‘Other than the conversations with that person there was nothing between her and her death.’ Sir lindsay also disputed the conclusion that no one else had been involved in her death.
‘We know there was a reaction to that phone call, that something happened following that,’ he said. He added that before the phone call, Miss lewisHoyle, who was a parish councillor, had been planning her long-term future.
Senior coroner Caroline Beasley-Murray recorded an open verdict, saying: ‘We will never quite know what was going through her mind. Was it a cry for help? We don’t have all the pieces of the jigsaw.’
following the verdict, Mrs lewis said she believed her daughter, who lived with her in Heybridge, essex was in a relationship that had aspects of ‘gas-lighting’ in it.
Gas-lighting is where someone is manipulated into doubting their own sanity.
Mrs lewis told how her daughter’s boyfriend would ‘ turn nasty’ after snorting cocaine.
Miss lewis-Hoyle would then ‘ fight back’ before getting thrown out of his flat. if she hammered on the door and demanded to be let back in he would ‘call the police and have her removed’.
Mrs lewis added: ‘it’s called gas-lighting, what he was doing to her. She was wondering if she was going crazy. the symptoms – you have to see them – are of a controlling person making them feel out of control.’
‘i grew slightly frustrated with the police because they can only deal with things that they can bring to the court of law.’
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