Mum and daughter killed in rail tragedy
Pair linked arms before stepping in front of train
A MUM linked arms with her teenage daughter before stepping in front of a high-speed train at Ealing Broadway station, an inquest heard.
Celise McLean, 36, and daughter Leia, 17, from Uxbridge, took a bus to Ealing before committing suicide in front of horrified commuters.
Witness Phillip Layster told how, moments before the tragedy, the pair came and sat in the waiting room and Celise asked him about getting a train to Heathrow.
In a statement, Mr Layster told West London Coroner’s Court he felt uncomfortable because she appeared ‘agitated’ and was acting ‘slightly strange’.
Her final words were: “I have to get to Heathrow – I have to stop them.”
Witnesses told how the mum put down a bag she was carrying before the pair stepped in front of a train travelling to central London.
Elizabeth Borrowdale also saw the tragedy unfold. In a statement, she told the court: “I saw two females come from the waiting area. They linked arms before running towards the platform edge.”
Detective Sergeant Andrew Nattrass, from British Transport Police, told the inquest Celise and Leia were later identified via a bank card found in the bag.
“We subsequently established that Celise had a son,” he said.
“When he came home from school at about 5pm on the back of a chair were taped various letters addressed to different people.
“From reading these letters they effectively amount to farewell letters.”
DS Nattrass said through CCTV footage he established that the mum and daughter left home in Uxbridge at around 3.25pm and bought a KFC meal before taking a bus to Ealing Broadway. They each topped up an Oyster card before entering the railway station just before 5pm, the court was told.
They stepped in front of the train just after 6pm on June 23 this year.
Coroner Kally Cheema recorded a verdict of suicide for both Celise and Leia.
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