Mum died in ‘moment of madness’ fall

A MUM fell 250ft to her death from the balcony of a luxury apartment block in China in a ‘moment of madness’ after she moved to the country from Stockport with her family, an inquest heard.

Gillian Smith, 44, set up home in a wealthy part of Shanghai with partner Peter and their two sons. Unbeknown to the family, Mrs Smith had ‘got herself in a hole’ after she encountered a ‘problem’ which she thought she was unable to resolve and kept it to herself.

The details of the ‘problem’ were not revealed at the inquest into Mrs Smith’s death.

The court heard that on July 5, Mrs Smith, formerly of Bramhall, fell 38 floors from the family home near the Huangpu River after sending her sons to have lunch with their father. She suffered multiple injuries and was found in the grounds of the apartment complex in the Weifang Xincun area of the city.

Inquiries found the apartment had waist-high metal and glass panels surrounding the edges and

Mrs Smith would have needed to use a stool to step over them.

South Manchester Coroners

Court was told Mrs Smith seemed

Gillian Smith

quiet in the weeks before her death. Some days, she was unable to get out of bed. The family was due to fly to Spain at the beginning of the children’s summer holiday, before taking a trip back to the UK to visit loved ones. Police later found Mrs Smith’s phone and a piece of paper with written passcodes. A draft email had been saved saying she was sorry.

Coroner Alison Mutch recorded a conclusion of suicide due to multiple injuries caused by her fall.