Mum’s death not suspicious, finds inquest hearing
Coroner rules Tina, 49, took own life
THE family of a Rossendale-born mum found dead after discovering her husband was seeing her best friend believed she had been murdered, an inquest heard.
However, the senior investigating officer from Lancashire Constabulary who attended the inquest believes there were no suspicious circumstances.
Tina Louise Aspin had not slept ‘for three weeks’ prior to being found dead at her home in Glasson Close on January 10.
The 49-year-old had recently separated from her husband Tommy and found out, two days before Christmas Day, that he was seeing her friend Crystal.
An inquest at Accrington Town Hall heard that Mrs Aspin, from Blackburn, had asked her GP for sleeping pills during a telephone consultation two days before her death.
“She was quite disturbed and she was crying,” Dr Nabil Isaac said at the inquest.
“She said she hadn’t slept for several weeks and she was unable to cope with what had happened with the breakdown of her marriage.
“She denied having any suicidal thoughts and said she just wanted something to help her sleep.”
Mrs Aspin, a mum-ofthree, was prescribed antidepressant mirtazapine and zopiclone, a sleeping pill.
“Post mortem toxicology revealed there was evidence of use of therapeutic levels of zopiclone in the hours prior to death but no mirtazapine,” Area Coroner Richard Taylor said.
A post mortem examination confirmed the cause of death was ligature of the neck.
The inquest heard that Mrs Aspin’s family, in particular her daughter Kayleigh, had concerns that her husband Tommy was responsible for her death.
Mrs Aspin was found dead by Jodie Whittaker, her friend of 10 years, who also doubted that she had taken her own life.
“Tina had carpel tunnel syndrome, she couldn’t even open a bottle of pop and she couldn’t write very well because of it,” Miss Whittaker said during the inquest.
“The (999 call handler) told me to cut the cord from her neck but I couldn’t; it was so tight. It was that which made me become suspicious.
“I can’t see her being able to do something like that, both physically and mentally.
“When I found her at first I thought she was just stood funny; her thighs were on the stairs, the knot was tighter than her weight could have made it.”
Tommy Aspin, who has a 12-year-old son with Tina, was the last person who is confirmed to have had contact with her before she was found dead.
“When I got up (on January 10) I had some messages on my phone from Tina’s daughter Kayleigh who indicated she was in a state,” Mr Aspin told the inquest.
“I went round, at about 6am or 7am, she seemed fine, she didn’t seem upset at the time. I stayed for about an hour, we had a brew and she was sat in bed watching TV.”
Mr Aspin said he attempted to call his wife a few times later that day ‘to check she was alright’ but she did not answer.
Heather Aspinall, the legal representative of Mrs Aspin’s family, asked him why he would do this if he was satisfied from his visit that she was ok.
“We were together for 18 years, married for 15 years, why is it strange that I would ring her?” he replied.
“There is nothing suspicious about it whatsoever. I was just checking she was alright.”
Mr Aspin was also asked by Miss Aspinall to explain why he had deleted all messages from his ex-wife from his phone.
“It was hurtful to me to see her picture on my phone,” he said.
“I haven’t done anything wrong. At the time there was nothing suspicious, that has been fabricated since.
“I do understand why the family are asking this but they are pointing the finger at the wrong person.”
Police examined Mrs Aspin’s phone after her death and a report revealed it contained no messages from Mr Aspin.
“Maybe he deleted them,” Mrs Aspin’s daughter, Kayleigh Grieves, said during the inquest.
Giving evidence, Miss Grieves said her mum had been feeling better the day before she died as she had managed to get three hours’ sleep.
“She was positive; the best I had seen her in a few weeks,” Miss Grieves said.
“She said she was going to get them back by inviting Tommy around to sleep with him and get a picture to send it to Crystal.”
The inquest heard Detective Inspector Roger Ashcroft attended the scene, as senior investigating officer, shortly after Mrs Aspin was found dead.
Under repeated examination by the family’s legal representative he maintained ‘there were no suspicious circumstances and no suspicion of third-party involvement’.
“I understand the family has concerns but in my opinion; and I’ve attended probably over 60 deaths by hanging in the last six years, there was nothing that was suspicious,” DI Ashcroft said.
“I appreciate they have concerns that Mr Aspin had done something and was involved in her death but there were no signs of violence, no signs of disturbance, no defence wounds.
“She had some make-up on but there were no smudges. A couple of her nails had come off but these weren’t found in the property.”
The inquest heard Mrs Aspin’s family has since made a formal complaint to police about the investigation into her death.
DI Ashcroft confirmed there were two police logs, dating back to 2009 and 2018, relating to ‘verbal domestic violence’ at the couple’s home but said nobody was arrested.
“Lots of people have arguments but that doesn’t mean that two isolated incidents over 10 years means there is anything to be suspicious about when someone is found hanging,” he said.
Barrister Miss Aspinall continued to probe the detective on why, when concerns were raised by Mrs Aspin’s family about her husband in the weeks following her death, further investigations weren’t carried out.
Miss Aspinall added that Mrs Aspin’s family believed Mr Aspin had a key to her home and suggested he had let himself in.
“The family say that after Tina’s death Tommy effectively fessed up to having a key before her death,” she said. “But his evidence today was that he didn’t have a key and only got one after her death.
“The family say that Tina kept knives under her bed because she was scared of him coming round. She told one friend ‘ring me when you’re at the door so I know it’s not Tommy’.”
The family also claim that CCTV footage, from a neighbouring property, was available but had been removed by Mr Aspin.
“The family’s position is that there was CCTV available and it was taken by Mr Aspin after her death,” Miss Aspinall said.
DI Ashcroft said the scene, and any possible CCTV footage, was considered but there remained no evidence to suggest thirdparty involvement.
“We can go on all day about this and that but in my opinion there were no suspicious circumstances,” he added.
“My job is not to cover up a murder, my job is to determine if there has been a murder.”
In his conclusion following the four-hour hearing the coroner ruled Mrs Aspin’s death was suicide.
“We can go on all day about this and that but in my opinion there were no suspicious circumstances,”
DI Roger Ashcroft