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15
Jan
Judgement of woman found dead in Harrogate clouded by drugs and alcohol, coroner says
Warning: This story contains details some readers might find distressing.
The mind of a woman found dead in Harrogate was “overtaken” by alcohol and cocaine, a coroner has ruled.
Abigail Lauren Garside, 30, was found hanging by a member of public in Montpellier Gardens shortly after 6am on August 18 last year.
Her inquest resumed this afternoon (January 15) at Northallerton Coroner’s Court after opening on September 11.
Assistant coroner Sarah Middleton said Ms Garside had consumed cocaine and alcohol with her husband, Sam, when they were celebrating their first wedding anniversary on August 17, which “affected her cognitive functions”.
In a written statement read to the court, Mr Garside said he and his wife lived together in Blackburn, where Ms Garside was born, and had married in August 2024.
They were due to move to Australia towards the end of last year, and had even visited Melbourne before Ms Garside’s death to secure a house and their visas.
The court heard the couple travelled to Harrogate on August 16 last year and celebrated their anniversary the following day with a trip to Bettys and a spa day.
Mr Garside's statement added:
After that, we went back to the hotel and had some food and drinks. We had vodka Red Bull and tequila.
Abigail Garside and her husband, Sam
They then went to Mojo on Parliament Street, where Mr Garside said they were “both a bit drunk” and each took some cocaine.
When the couple arrived back at the hotel in the early hours of the morning, an argument broke out between them.
Ms Garside left the hotel at around 2.30am, which was confirmed by hotel CCTV footage. When Mr Garside woke up at 6am, his wife had not returned.
She had left her phone at the hotel.
Mr Garside drove around the town to find Ms Garside, but her body had already been found.
Paramedics certified her death at the scene.
The cordon at the scene on August 18.
No history of mental health problems
A statement prepared by Dr Patel, Ms Garside’s GP, said she “did not have any health conditions” at the time of her death, nor was she prescribed any regular medication.
He said:
There is no record of her consulting the GP practice for mental health [problems]… and she was not referred to the mental health services by the practice.
Mr Garside added: “I had no idea she was feeling this way”.
A named police officer, whose statement was read to the court, said Mr Garside was “visibly shocked” when he was informed of his wife’s death.
‘Abigail was a woman who loved life’
Ms Garside’s mother told the court her daughter had a “great future ahead of her”, while Mr Garside said his wife “loved life”.
The coroner said there was “no indication Abigail would do something of this nature” and believed her actions were “completely out of character”.
Ms Middleton said "Abigail was happily married", adding:
She was a woman who loved life and was planning a life in Australia… she had no mental health problems.
That weekend should’ve been special… you [Mr Garside and his wife] were having a lovely day.
The coroner added she was sure Mr Garside would not have let his wife leave the hotel had there been any suggestion she would harm herself.
Ms Middleton told the court people can often experience feelings of paranoia when cocaine and alcohol are mixed, and felt this impacted Ms Garside.
It can make people act in a way people would not do normally.
Ms Middleton gave a narrative conclusive.
She said there were “no signs” of third-party involvement, nor were there any suspicious circumstances surrounding Ms Garside's death.
However, she does not believe Ms Garside would have “acted the way she did” had alcohol and cocaine not been in her system.
The coroner said:
I think her mind was overtaken by the alcohol and cocaine.
Ms Garside’s medical cause of death was attributed to hanging.
A fundraising page was set up following Ms Garside’s death to raise money for Dogs Trust and mental health charity Mind Lancashire.
It has since amassed more than £2,600.
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