BY BENJAMIN ROBERTS-HASLAM AND STEPHANIE WAREHAM
A FAMILY has been left heartbroken after a grieving father died just hours after his daughter’s funeral.
The father of carer Katie Davenport had an epileptic fit the night of her funeral and passed away, an inquest into Katie’s death heard on March 8.
Katie, described by her sister Lianne Clegg as “the most beautiful, funniest girl with the most infectious laugh”, died 13 days after jumping from a fire escape at a club in Southport, Merseyside, on September 4.
Our sister paper The Liverpool Echo reports Katie, 23, had been placed on the fire escape at around 2am by a door supervisor at Hey Amigos nightclub after getting into an “altercation” while on a night out with work colleagues.
But when the door supervisor turned around to check if Katie and her friend had left, he could only watch as she jumped from the balcony, an inquest into her death heard.
Katie suffered traumatic brain injuries and had to have brain surgery at neurology hospital The Walton Centre, but she died 13 days after the incident with her boyfriend Niall by her side.
In a heartbreaking statement made on behalf of Katie’s family and boyfriend Niall, sister Lianne said that although Katie had struggled with her mental health over the years, she was in a good place and was “confident, outgoing and loving life”.
She had been saving up for a mortgage, had recently passed her driving test, had been looking forward to going on holiday and had got a second job in healthcare which she “adored”.
Lianne also explained how they had lost Katie’s dad on the same day as Katie’s funeral, which had been
“devastating” for them.
Her funeral was at West Lancashire Cemetery and Crematorium on October 14, and Katie’s dad suffered an epileptic fit hours later and passed away.
“I can’t even begin to describe the pain and heartache we have gone through since losing our beautiful Katie,” Lianne said.
“She was the most beautiful, funniest girl with the most infectious laugh.
“Katie had struggled with her mental health over the years but reached out for help and along with the help and support of her partner Niall had got to a place in her life where she was confident, outgoing and loving life.
“She had recently passed her driving test, saving up for a mortgage, booked a holiday and got a second job in health care - a job