Drink-driving daughter who died of shame
Woman worried about upsetting dad hanged herself on day of court date
A WOMAN whose father was very opposed to drinkdriving hanged herself after being charged with the offence, an inquest heard.
Mary-Ann Dust, 30, could not face disappointing him and decided not to tell her parents about being arrested for allegedly being over the limit, a coroner was told.
On the day she died, she had been due to appear in magistrates court accused of drink-driving.
Recording a narrative conclusion, coroner Robert Chapman said Miss Dust died from hanging after trying to protect her parents from any worry.
He told her mother Sue: ‘ One of her problems was she did keep things to herself.
‘She didn’t confide to you or your husband of this concern of the court appearance. It was preying on her mind because she felt like she let you down.
‘She was a lovely girl, well-liked by family and by people that she worked with. She played life close to her chest.’
Kendal Coroner’s Court was told that Miss Dust was found hanged by her partner – painter and decora- tor Dale Bowe – at their home in Windermere, Cumbria, when he returned from work at around 6.45pm on March 21. Paramedics were called but she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Miss Dust, who worked as an assistant manager at The Cornish Bakery in Bowness, Cumbria, had been charged with drink- driving after a night out partying with colleagues.
They put her in a taxi to take her home, but on the way she stopped the taxi, got out and went to collect her car. She then crashed into other vehicles.
Mrs Dust, from Ulverston, Cumbria, told the inquest this week that she understood her daughter had been twice the legal limit when breath-tested.
But Miss Dust did not tell either of her parents about being arrested because she was worried about what they would have thought, her mother said.
‘She was very protective so didn’t want to cause us any worry,’ said Mrs Dust.
‘She couldn’t have handled us knowing, but it wasn’t the end of the world.
‘Over the years she said she couldn’t take any disappointment in her dad’s eyes. Her dad is very anti- drink- driving. She would have been absolutely mortified that she damaged other people’s property.’
Mrs Dust said she had spoken to her daughter the day before when she seemed ‘just her normal bubbly self’. She added: ‘ She was wonderful person. She thought she could fix the world. She would take on everyone’s problems – sometimes too much.’ A toxicology report found a small amount of cannabis and alcohol in Miss Dust’s blood. The inquest heard that she had suffered with depression, which she tried to manage with cannabis and alcohol. A statement from a family doctor at Bowness and Windermere Medical Practice said she was last seen for anxiety and depression in 2015. ■ For confidential support, call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch. See www.samaritans.org for details.