Fiona Peel

THE family of a young mother who died after a suspected cardiac arrest said police and the coroner’s service failed to treat them with “basic human decency” when they were left in the dark about what had happened to her.

Questions still remain over the death of Fiona Peel, 30, who was found dead in a Crouch Hill flat last year after she took a mixture of prescription and class A drugs.

Ms Peel’s sister, Laura, who lives near Leeds, said in a statement submitted to an inquest at St Pancras Coroner’s Court that the family were left to frantically search for answers after they received a call from the London Ambulance Service last June informing them that paramedics were performing CPR on Fiona.

“For over 48 hours no contact was made again to inform any of Fiona’s family what had happened following the CPR,” the statement said. “The family did not know if Fiona was dead or alive, or where she even was. The family had to ring the police, hospitals to try and get an update on Fiona to no avail.”

Ms Peel’s family raised a catalogue of concerns to the court on Wednesday.

“During this process we feel that Fiona and her family have not been treated with compassion, care, dignity, or respect,” they said in a written statement. Assistant coroner Ian Potter told family members in the courtroom: “I wish to apologise for the way you feel and the lack of communication you feel has been forthcoming from the court. If that has fallen short I’m incredibly sorry and that will be looked into.”

The inquest heard that Ms Peel had travelled from Croydon to Islington to stay with a friend called Diamond Che-X.

She was fleeing an abusive ex-boyfriend.  After the pair partied together, Mr Che-X left his flat at 4am. When he returned at 11am the following day, he found Ms Peel deceased in his bed. Police said they could not establish where Mr Che-X had been – his phone was switched off – during their investigation.

Detective Sergeant Lilly Rellis, who had been called to the scene to investigate the unexpected death, told the court: “I don’t know where Diamond was during the night. The way he explained it I believe it was an intimate encounter [with somebody else], he wouldn’t divulge anything else.”

Laura Peel told the inquest: “If I wasn’t a friend of Diamond’s I’d be a lot more concerned about his whereabouts. I’d be questioning whether he had even left the property, whether he stayed with her after she passed. It’s a lot more questions that I don’t feel have been answered.”

DS Rellis told the court that when she arrived at the scene she found drugs paraphernalia on the living room table, including a glass pipe and a razor blade.

Although blood was found on Fiona Peel’s scalp, DS Rellis said that there was no evidence in the flat of a disturbance between Ms Peel and Diamond.

“I think the cut on the head is most likely the result of domestic abuse,” DS Rellis said, telling the court that her ex-boyfriend was a “prolific domestic violence offender”.

The toxicology report concluded that Ms Peel had cocaine and morphine in her system, and that it was possible that the cocaine triggered a cardiac event, but her sister said: “There are still a lot of questions unanswered that I’m still very confused about.”

Laura Peel said in court that there had been a tragic set of circum­stances which had preceded Ms Peel’s death. Her mother had passed away and her 33-year-old sister died only 8 months later. This was followed by her uncle taking his own life.

“I’m not sure she had any emotions left… I think Fiona became completely numb”, said Laura Peel.

Jodie Jackson, a close friend of Ms Peel, added: “She made some terrible life choices, and I feel like she’s been judged on that. But she was a mother, a sister, and an aunt. I know she came across as an addict, but she was more than that to us.”

Mr Potter concluded that: “Fiona Peel had been a longstanding victim of domestic abuse. The emotional distress of this led to her abuse of illicit drugs and prescription medication. “On the night 8/9 June 2023, Ms Peel arrived at a friend’s house having fled a further episode of domestic violence. While the medical cause of her death was drug related, the psychological effects of the longstanding domestic abuse she suffered more than minimally contributed to her death.”

Rebecca Goshawk, a spokesperson for Solace, a charity which fights to end violence against women and girls, said: “We are very sorry to hear this coroner’s report on Fiona Peel’s death. Sadly this aligns with our findings on the frontline with women and children surviving domestic abuse.

“We see daily how the long-term impact of domestic abuse can be devastating. We send our thought and condolences to her family and loved ones.”

The Tribune approached the Met and St Pancras Coroner’s Court but received no response. The ambulance service said it could not comment on confidential patient treatment.