School worker died after snorting cocaine
Inquest is told how night out ended in tragedy
APRIMARY school staff member died of a heart attack after snorting cocaine on a night out.
Jeanette Allen went out celebrating a friend’s 40th birthday party and decided to stay out late when her partner went home.
The 39-year-old was found dead on her sofa the following morning with tests showing the cocaine she had taken with alcohol had triggered underlying heart problems.
Miss Allen, from Rochdale, had been described a ‘bit of a party girl’ in her younger days but in recent years had lessened the numbers of nights out she went on.
She became a member of support staff at Shawclough Primary School where colleagues described her as ‘wellloved’.
Her partner, Robert Christian, told an inquest in Heywood, Miss Allen was ‘the woman of his dreams’ and said they had been together for 19 years.
Mr Christian said: “She would do anything for me, we did everything together. Her death has left me with a big hole.
“I wasn’t aware that she was taking cocaine. Years ago she was a bit of a party girl out a lot of the time but it got less over the years.”
He said they had gone out together at 6pm on Saturday, May 27, and he had gone home at 3am on Sunday when she went to town.
He told the inquest he did not hear her come in and when he woke up at midday on Sunday, he found her on the couch.
He said: “I called the ambulance and the paramedics came but I knew that she was gone. I miss her like crazy. She had so much that she was going to do.”
Dr Sami Titi told the inquest that Ms Allen had 90 per cent narrowing of her arteries in parts of the body, which put a strain on her heart. He added: “Her diabetes did have an impact. She had an acute heart attack. As she had been drinking and taking cocaine that also would have put pressure on her heart.
“The cocaine sped the process of the heart attack up. It is a risk of taking cocaine that you can have a sudden heart attack.”
Recording a narrative conclusion, coroner Lisa Hashmi said: “Unfortunately you cannot ignore the impact of the drugs in this case. The use of cocaine took a toll on her body. I have heard the consequences of cocaine use and alcohol mixed with a heart condition which can result in a sudden death. Jeanette’s cause of death was natural. However, the use of the cocaine and the effect cannot be ignored. Her death was natural on which her consumption of cocaine and alcohol more than minimally contributed.”
At the time of Miss Allen’s death, Julia Sandiford-Mitchell headmistress at Shawclough Pri- mary, said: “We have all been saddened by this event. We have spoken with her family and offered our heartfelt sympathy, as well as any support and help we are able to give.”