Runcorn & Widnes Weekly News

Woman, 47, killed by ‘strong batch’ of drug

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A RUNCORN mother-offour died after taking heroin that may have come from a ‘stronger batch’.

Donna Mullen, 47, of Arthur Street, was found dead on Sunday, August 7, by a neighbour who had been asked to check on her after concerned residents spotted her security light was left on overnight.

Toxicology tests quashed a rumour that Mrs Mullen and Peter McLinden (see story left) were victims of a batch of heroin contaminat­ed with rat poison, with no trace of rodenticid­e found in either of the deceased.

The inquests, presided over by coroner Nicholas Rheinberg at Warrington on February 22, heard Mrs Mullen had smoked heroin in the morning of Saturday, August 6, with her friend Mark Leonard Wakefield, also known as Smith, before heading into Runcorn Old Town for a full English at Wetherspoo­n’s.

They ‘lost track of time’ and headed back to her house to inject, cleaning the needle between uses, he said.

Mr Wakefield said they chatted for a bit and fell asleep and he woke later at 10.30-11pm, realising his girlfriend would be expecting him home, and checked Mrs Mullen was breathing normally with ‘no visible signs she was in trouble’, roused her to tell her he was leaving and she ‘mumbled back’, and he then left, securing the back gate with a wheelie bin.

Mr Wakefield said the heroin ‘seemed a stronger batch that they do elsewhere, a better quality’, and ‘it must have been strong because I was out for the count’.

A neighbour checked on Mrs Mullen on Sunday afternoon, and inside she made the tragic discovery.

A police investigat­ion ruled out foul play

Detective Constable Daniel Richardson said the property was ‘clean and tidy’ and police ruled out suspicious circumstan­ces.

The inquest heard she was a parent who would go ‘a bit wild’ when her children were staying with their grandmothe­r.

She hid her drug use – and drinking issues – from the children and her mother, the inquest heard, and would make sure she had food in for her daughters.

The deceased had been known to shoplift and on the day of her death had stolen meat from Co-op on Balfour Street and tried to sell it to a neighbour.

A statement from Shaun Bradbury, read by the coroner, said he had seen Mrs Mullen and Mr Wakefields ‘scoring’ – buying drugs – on Surrey Street at about 11.30am.

Mr Rheinberg told the inquest that Mrs Mullen had been a ‘very caring girl’ as a child but her life ‘had a lot of tragedy’ the death of her partner two years ago, which ‘knocked her for six’.

Her mother Pauline Cundy said her daughter had wanted to work in ‘looking after people’.

Mr Rheinberg recorded a conclusion that Mrs Mullen died from heroin and diazepam toxicity.

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