Coronavirus: Grieving daughter reveals Gosport mum's Covid-19 death as she implores people to stay at home over Easter

A GRIEVING daughter has made an impassioned plea for people to stay at home as she pays tribute to her elderly mother who died after testing positive for Covid-19.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Former Gosport police sergeant Lesley Meenaghan broke down as she urged the public to follow lockdown rules and revealed her mum Ann Milligan had died today – and that her father is unwell and suspected also to have the virus.

Grandmother and mum-of-five Ann, 78, of The Anchorage, in Gosport, leaves behind her children and husband Ron, 73, to whom she was married for 55 years.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Ron, known locally as Spike Milligan and who was the former jailer at Gosport police station custody, is thought to have Covid-19.

Ann Milligan, who has died from pneumonia and Covid-19, pictured with her daughter Lesley Meenaghan, who is warning people to stay at home. Picture: Lesley MeenaghanAnn Milligan, who has died from pneumonia and Covid-19, pictured with her daughter Lesley Meenaghan, who is warning people to stay at home. Picture: Lesley Meenaghan
Ann Milligan, who has died from pneumonia and Covid-19, pictured with her daughter Lesley Meenaghan, who is warning people to stay at home. Picture: Lesley Meenaghan

Speaking to The News, Lesley said: ‘It really is important we stay at home - it is a matter of life and death.

‘We have to stand together, apart and protect our loved ones.’

Lesley, 53, added her parents were ‘very rarely apart’ but their conditions meant that Ron could not see Ann, a former worker at Ultra television factory and HMS Collingwood, before she died.

Lesley was able to visit briefly since April 3.

Lesley Meenaghan has spoken out about the death of her mother Ann Milligan, pictured here with her husband Ron Milligan on their 50th wedding anniversary. Picture: Lesley MeenaghanLesley Meenaghan has spoken out about the death of her mother Ann Milligan, pictured here with her husband Ron Milligan on their 50th wedding anniversary. Picture: Lesley Meenaghan
Lesley Meenaghan has spoken out about the death of her mother Ann Milligan, pictured here with her husband Ron Milligan on their 50th wedding anniversary. Picture: Lesley Meenaghan
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Keen charity fundraiser Ann was admitted to Queen Alexandra Hospital in Cosham on March 26 in poor health with COPD. Due to this she could not go on a ventilator.

Doctors told Lesley that Ann died from double pneumonia and Covid-19.

Read More
Coronavirus in Portsmouth: latest updates as 130 cases in city now confirmed

But now Lesley fears that people in society are ‘becoming wrongly relaxed’ about coronavirus.

Lesley Meenaghan when a sergeant in Gosport police. Picture: Ian Hargreaves (143216-3c)Lesley Meenaghan when a sergeant in Gosport police. Picture: Ian Hargreaves (143216-3c)
Lesley Meenaghan when a sergeant in Gosport police. Picture: Ian Hargreaves (143216-3c)

In a video posted on social media on Thursday, Lesley added: ‘My mum died today. She was in hospital for two weeks and she’s died, so the Covid-19 took her.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

‘Over the last week there’s been an increase in cars and people, and it’s a sunny weekend ahead.

‘Just honestly, stay at home. You just need to stay at home, and then this won’t happen to you and all your family. Night mum.’

In a second video, she added: ‘If you think it’s tough staying at home - it’s not.

‘And if you think it’s tough not having your favourite foods - it’s not. It’s not tough at all.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

‘What is tough is when your mum goes into hospital nine days ago and she’s dying from this virus, and you can’t hug her and her husband who’s poorly can’t go to see her to say goodbye to her and she’s going to die.

‘So if you think those things are tough they’re not - you’ve just got to do what the government has said.

‘This is not for sympathy - just do what they tell you to do, because it’s really important, otherwise a lot of people we love are going to die unnecessarily.’

Lesley paid tribute to the ‘amazing’ QA Hospital staff and said her mother was a ‘a kind, gentle trusting soul’ who made her family smile at the things she said.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The family are unable to attend or hold a funeral. Alverstoke Evangelical Church will hold a service of remembrance in due course.

NHS England figures show 85 people have died at Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs Queen Alexandra Hospital in Cosham.

Hampshire police have warned people to stay at home despite the good Easter weather.

Lockdown is expected to continue beyond the three-week initial period ending next week.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

This has left public authorities scrambling to urge people to stick to the rules about not going out unless it is essential or for exercise.

But as it continues, tensions and crime behind closed doors are expected to increase.

Hampshire police chief constable Olivia Pinkney has spoken about anti-social behaviour being a particular problem.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

'One of the worries I have is about anti-social behaviour as these days and weeks go on, particularly as the sun remains out, which is of course lovely, is what happens with groups of young people,' she said.

She said that new police powers 'don't really deal with that in the long term' and added: 'So it's a big worry for me. I know the MPs are worried about it, I know the chief execs of local authorities are worrying about it.

‘Together we are starting to work through, okay in this social distancing world, in a world where we're going to have to deliver services in a very different way, what are we going to do to prepare for the weeks, and months, ahead for that problem?

‘So I don't have the answer to that problem now – I am really worried about it.

‘We will work up some plans together.’

Related topics: