‘Wonderful’ mum never woke up after party
Drink and drugs caused death of ‘bubbly’ woman, 30 -
A‘WONDERFUL’ mum was put to bed by friends at a booze and drug-fuelled party and never woke up, an inquest has heard.
Tragic Zoe Whelan, 30, was found dead on the floor of a friend’s house in Stockport on 4 December last year.
She was a mum-of-two who had been planning Christmas and had already started buying them presents, a court heard.
Her heartbroken dad Lewis Wells told Stockport Coroner’s Court: ‘’She was a bubbly girl who was very active.
“She loved her horses and would often take her two children to the stables. She was very caring.
“I miss her so much, it has broken my heart. I will never forget her.
“I have to bring up her two children now.
“She loved her two children very dearly.”
The court heard Zoe had first been drinking at the home of friend Lynsey McDonald from around 6.30pm.
Miss McDonald said they were celebrating her sister’s birthday.
Zoe left with friend Gemma Smith at around 10.30pm and had told Miss McDonald she was going to go home, the court heard.
But Miss McDonald told the hearing at around 1.30am she received a ‘drunken’ video call with both Gemma and Zoe from Gemma’s house.
‘’They wanted me to go around but I couldn’t as my children were in bed,” said Miss McDonald.
Gemma Smith said she and Zoe went back to her home with two boys, Ashley Rigby and Matthew Smith, who they had met at Miss McDonald’s house.
“We just had a drink and had a laugh,” she said.
“I was drinking vodka and shots and there were a lot of drinks on the table, including a mixture of spirits.
“People were allowed to help themselves and Zoe helped herself.
“We had cocaine on the side, we only had a few lines and Zoe asked for it.
“Zoe was really intoxicated, at one point she was falling over and couldn’t stand up, so we took her upstairs for a lie down. She was falling over at around 2am.
“I had a lot to drink as well, but I was not as drunk as her.
“I didn’t think it was right how intoxicated she was and she was not asking to go home.
“Instead she staggered up the stairs and we just put her in bed.
“I walked her upstairs with someone, I cannot remember who.
“We just laid her on top of the covers. I cannot remember the position she was in.
“I then went back downstairs and had a few more drinks and carried on chatting.
“I regretted not going to check on Zoe and I didn’t realise what had happened until one of the guys shouted from upstairs to come up.
“She was not responsive when I went upstairs. I called the ambulance and they advised to start chest compressions.
“No one else went to check on her that I am aware of.
“When we found her dead we rang the ambulance straight away.
“I wasn’t aware she had been unwell. I am broken.”
Toxicology tests showed Zoe had 336 micrograms of alcohol in her blood stream. The alcohol limit in blood for driving is 80mg.
She had also had traces of cocaine, an anti anxiety drug and cannabis in her system, the court heard.
Recording a conclusion of ‘drink and drug related death’ assistant coroner Lauren Costello said: “I am satisfied the alcohol combined with the cocaine and [an antianxiety drug] caused her to suffer cardiorespiratory depression.
“I am also satisfied she took the drugs of her own accord.
“I am so sorry and I sent my condolences to the family and friends to Zoe who was a wonderful mother and friend.”