Suicide vet’s note read: ‘Murder by Inland Revenue’

AWELL-REGARDED vet who killed herself using a cocktail of drugs from her surgery left a note addressed to the coroner saying a verdict of “murder by Inland Revenue” would be more appropriate than suicide, an inquest has heard.

Hannah Wynne Richards was found dead in the office above her veterinary surgery in Sketty, Swansea, on January 20 by the nurse who worked with her, Jeanette Hunt.

Near to the 63-year-old’s body, police found three letters – one to the coroner and the others containing money for Ms Hunt and a woman who looked after her horses, Swansea Coroner’s Court was told.

The one addressed to HM Coroner read: “You are probably returning a verdict of suicide, murder by Inland Revenue would be more accurate.”

The letter to Ms Hunt said how loyal her employee had been and explained that she could not pay her tax or livery fees.

It also contained £290, thought to be for wages, the inquest heard.

Coroner Colin Phillips said Ms Richards had been “facing financial pressure” at the time of her death and added: “She was not a business person and she placed the needs of her animals before her own personal interests.”

The inquest heard Ms Richards, an only child who grew up in Carmarthenshire and had no relatives living nearby, decided to become a vet as a teenager and worked in several places before setting up her business at Penybryn Veterinary Centre in 2007.

At the time of her death she was living in a basement flat behind the surgery but was known to sleep in the office when she was looking after animals.

Pc Jason Sullivan said: “She was regarded as an extremely gifted and caring vet who would do all she could to save an animal’s life.”

Mr Sullivan, who summarised the evidence of Ms Hunt, said she told the investigation that the business had around 300 customers and specialised in small domestic animals but she came to realise there were “significant financial issues”.

She added that Ms Richards did not have a “good business head” and always said the welfare of the animals was paramount.

The inquest heard the vet had little interaction with people outside of her working life and was last seen alive at around 7.20pm on January 19 by a fellow animallover who was looking for help in housing a stray dog.

In her statement Ms Hunt described arriving for work at 7.30am on January 20 and finding Ms Richards lying on a mattress on the floor in the office above the practice.

She went to make a cup of tea before returning to realise that her employer was dead, with drug bottles and syringes near her.

A post-mortem examination found Ms Richards’ cause of death to be multiple drug toxicity and listed four drugs used in veterinary work, which were found in her system.

Mr Phillips ruled Ms Richards’ death was suicide.