Hampshire mum-of-two died after she stopped eating, inquest told

Charlotte Broad, who had a long-term eating disorder, died at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital (RHCH) in Winchester after becoming seriously ill having stopped eating and remaining bed-ridden for six weeks.

The 32-year-old, who ‘lived on Irn-Bru and Wotsits’, refused treatment in hospital and died on January 19 last year after her condition deteriorated, the inquest heard.

Coroner Samantha Marsh recorded a narrative verdict and said: ‘I am satisfied that by failing to eat or accept treatment she understood there would be only one outcome and that would be her demise.

‘I do not think she intentionally meant to take her life, I think she was ambivalent as to whether that happened.’

Dr Frank Murphy, a consultant gastroenterologist at the RHCH, explained Ms Broad had a long history of a bulimic eating disorder and had a number of issues including coping with a late-pregnancy stillbirth which he said was ‘very hard to endure’.

He explained that a psychiatric assessment was carried out and added: ’Charlotte had capacity to refuse treatment and she did refuse treatment.’

He said: ‘It's a terrible conflict, you are looking at a young adult who is dying in front of you, you want to help but they are refusing help, it's a hard place to be.’

Pathologist Dr Adnan Al-Badri gave a cause of death of multiple organ failure due to severe malnutrition over a long period of time.

The inquest heard that Ms Broad, from Winchester, suffered a miscarriage at 33 weeks in 2007 and was diagnosed as having depression the following year.

She was also diagnosed as having an eating disorder which had developed from anxiety over a fear of nausea which arose from severe morning sickness during pregnancy.

Ms Broad was referred to an eating disorder clinic in 2011 but did not attend after she said her condition had improved and also refused treatment by Southern Health mental health services, the hearing was told.

Her partner, Mark Darley, said he did not know the cause of her eating disorder but added: ‘She was called fatty at school.;’

He said her favourite foods were ‘cheese and onion crisps, poppadoms and prawn crackers’ but would feed her children normally.

Ms Broad's mother, Kate Gibson, said: ‘Sometimes at school she didn't have a good time, people were mean to her.’

She added: ‘She knew she was going to die, I knew she wouldn't have wanted to leave the girls.’

Ms Gibson added: 'She was stubborn, she was cheeky, she was an absolutely amazing mum.’

Ms Broad's brother, James Broad, said their parents' divorce might have been a factor in his sister's problems but added she had always eaten ‘strangely’.

He said: ‘I believe she wanted to die, I do not know why. I think for the sake of the children she should have fought harder for them but we do not know the extent of her mental health.’