Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Bathtub death of heartbroken Bella ruled a suicide
Aspiring veterinary nurse took an overdose
A heartbroken woman found dead in the bath by the ex-boyfriend who ended their relationship took her own life, a jury has ruled.
Isabella Goddard, 22, died in her Canterbury home as a result of submersion under water after taking an overdose of prescription and over-the-counter medication.
She was discovered by Kieran Wilson at home in St Edmunds Road on April 13 last year. Isabella was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and had a history of suicidal thoughts. She had recently split with Mr Wilson and had taken the break-up news badly while staying with her parents in the Cayman Islands, even making an attempt on her own life. Mr Wilson knew Isabella was going to take their split badly. But having seen a psychiatrist and being put back on a particular anxiety medication, she returned to the UK in a noticeably better state of mind. She had even enrolled on a veterinary nursing course at the University of Kent. Following her return, Isabella was hoping to meet with her former boyfriend. But Mr Wilson told her during a late-night phone call that he had met someone else, leaving Isabella “very upset”.
She spoke to her parents in the Cayman Islands that night, who were concerned she was again suicidal.
The next day, Isabella’s concerned father, Peter Goddard, called Mr Wilson, asking him to check on his daughter, but he was at work and unable to. Mr Goddard called police at 2.43pm and asked them to visit Isabella, but they did not go to her home until after 6pm. When they eventually arrived paramedics were already there, as Mr Wilson had gone to the house after work and discovered his ex-girlfriend’s lifeless body. She was in the bathtub with the water still running, so he pulled her out and called 999 before attempting to resuscitate her. Emergency crews arrived at the scene but declared Isabella dead shortly after.
An inquest into her death concluded at County Hall in Maidstone on Friday, with a jury agreeing that Isabella’s cause of death was submersion under water due to intoxication of drugs by a “self-administered overdose”.
After hearing three days of evidence, they reached a conclusion of suicide. Assistant coroner Catherine Wood offered her condolences to the family.
“I’m sorry for the tragic loss of a young life in difficult circumstances,” she said.
“It’s clear that you tried everything you could for Isabella
and I now hope that you can put the past behind you and take some steps to rebuild your life.”
Ms Wood did not exercise her powers to offer guidance on how to prevent future deaths.
It is believed the latest time Isabella could have died was at about 2pm - four hours before her body was found.
Her phone and laptop records, retrieved by police, showed she had been in regular contact with the Samaritans between late March and early April, and had expressed suicidal thoughts. In a statement, Superintendent John Phillips, of Kent Police’s Professional Standards Department, said the force made a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) following the death of Isabella.
He said: “Ms Goddard was found deceased by a member of the public shortly before 5.55pm on Saturday, April 13, 2019, approximately three hours after Kent Police had received a call from a family member who was concerned for her welfare due to a lack of contact. “The IOPC ruled that the incident was suitable for local investigation, which concluded that there had been no failing on the part of any officers or staff and that the initial call had been dealt with appropriately based on the information available. “It was also considered unlikely that the outcome of this incident would have been any different if officers had attended Ms Goddard’s address immediately, as evidence from the scene suggested she had sadly died before any concerns had been raised. Our thoughts are with Ms Goddard’s family at this difficult time.”
■ For confidential support on an emotional issue, call Samaritans on 116 123 at any time.
‘It’s clear that you tried everything you could for Isabella’