A woman found dead inside a restaurant toilet after almost three days is believed to have entered the cubicle to try to keep warm, an inquest heard.
Sabrina Lyttle, 47, probably died shortly after entering the disabled facility at 8.38 on the evening of November 28 last year, a coroner was told.
She was not discovered until November 30, when alarmed staff looked through the keyhole and saw a body, the court was told.
Police were called to the Gurkha Hotel Pub and Restaurant in Blackpool, Lancashire and forced entry only to discover she was already dead.
There was no evidence that she had been attacked or that someone else was involved.
Her family wept as the inquest in the seaside town today heard that Sabrina was a prolific drug user who had just served three weeks of an eight-week prison sentence for theft.
A crack pipe was found on the toilet floor beside her and blood tests revealed she had cocaine, Valium, methadone and a small amount of alcohol in her system.
She was said to have lived a “chaotic” lifestyle although she was loved by many people who tried to help her.
Sabrina Lyttle (left), 47, who was found dead at a restaurant, pictured with her mother Christine
Consultant forensic pathologist Dr Richard Shepherd said her body showed no signs of any serious illness.
He believed the methadone might have affected her lung capacity, while the cocaine might have caused her heart to fail.
He said: ‘It is really difficult to tell because it all depends on her tolerance to these drugs.
‘A period in prison – even one as short as this – and the non use of a drug like cocaine can see tolerance levels decrease extremely rapidly.’
Det Insp Liam Davy, who carried out the initial enquires into the death, said he had known Sabrina since his days as an officer in the beat.
He revealed that alongside the crack pipe was a carrier bag in which there was a magazine and some Bakewell cherry tarts.
DI Davy said: ‘My hypothesis at the time was she possibly entered the toilet to keep warm and that her death was caused by the drugs or because of a medical episode.
‘There was no evidence of outside involvement.’
A GoFundMe page has been set up on behalf of the grieving family of Sabrina (pictured)
The inquest heard there were several agencies dealing with vulnerable people like Sabrina – Blackpool Horizon, Lancashire Women and Changing Futures – who all tried to help her.
She was even met at the prison gates when she was freed on November 27th, the day before she is believed to have died.
Accommodation had been arranged for her at a Blackpool hotel and she had further appointments to try and help her overcome her addiction problems.
Coroner Margaret Taylor – who described Sabrina as ‘a popular and likeable woman despite her problems’ – recorded a verdict of death by mixed drug toxicity.
She told Sabrina’s family: ‘If we apply common sense it would seem she died shortly after going into the toilet because there is no evidence she tried to come out.
‘I understand your concerns but there is a very high possibility that nothing could have been done to save her even if she was found earlier.’
More than £1,300 was raised online, with the money going towards Sabrina’s funeral costs as well as the drug and alcohol support service Horizon
Staff from the Gurkha attended the inquest but left immediately after it was over and did not give evidence.
At the time of Sabrina’s death, a spokesman for the restaurant told reporters she must have broken into the toilet by picking the lock.
They said all the toilets were cleaned regularly but the disabled facility was only cleaned after it had been used and no one asked to use it until the day Sabrina’s body was found.
Sabrina’s daughter Jade Casey, 27, previously told how Sabrina was discovered dead at the Gurkha Buffet Restaurant, Hotel and Bar in Blackpool, Lancashire.
She and Sabrina’s mother Christine, 68, say they are unsure why she went into the toilet.
Her friend Erika Zazzu, who set up a GoFundMe online appeal on the family’s behalf, described Sabrina as ‘a person who was in pain and who dealt with that pain as best she could’, as well as a loving mother to two daughters.
Sabrina has been described by her daughter Jade’s friend Erika Zazzu as ‘a person who was in pain and dealt with that pain as best as she could’
Erika also told how Sabrina ‘struggled with addiction throughout her life’ and was only released from jail on November 27 before her body was found three days later.
A GoFundMe appeal raised more than £1,300, with money going towards Sabrina’s funeral as well as drug and alcohol support service Horizon.
Erika wrote: ‘Despite the many mistakes Sabrina made in her life, she was a mother, a daughter, a sister, and more.
‘She was a person, a person who was in pain and dealt with that pain as best as she could. Sabrina took pride in knowing her greatest achievements were her two daughters, whom she adored and tried to get better for.’
She described how Jade had spoken to her mother three weeks before her death, telling how Sabrina was ‘determined to get sober again’.
Erika wrote: ‘Sabrina told Jade how much she loved her, and Jade held onto hope that this time things might change. Tragically, Sabrina didn’t get better in time.
‘Sabrina struggled with addiction throughout her life. She fought hard, but sadly, she lost her battle this week at the young age of 47.
‘Although she faced many challenges and made many mistakes during her addiction, Sabrina didn’t deserve to pass away the way she did.
‘She fought hard for years but unfortunately her body was tired of fighting.’
Erika said in her GoFundMe appeal how Jade wanted to honour her mother with ‘the compassion and respect that was often missing during her lifetime and give her the funeral she deserves’.
She added: ‘Jade also hopes to donate a portion of the funds to Horizon, a drug and alcohol support service that supported Sabrina over the years in her fight against addiction and will be doing a collection for the service at the funeral.’
Jade told how ‘heartbroken’ she felt, knowing her mother was in the restaurant’s disabled toilet while people there were eating and drinking.
She said: ‘The police have told us that customers were complaining that they couldn’t get into the toilet, but they assumed something had happened with the lock. They then opened up the disabled toilet and found her on the Saturday morning.
‘I’m angry because she could have been found sooner, they should have done the usual toilet checks. It’s heartbreaking because we know she was left in the cold, on her own.
‘I know she was dead but it’s the fact she was there while people were eating and drinking.
‘We don’t know the cause of death yet but there’s part of us that thought she might have been struggling and needed help and then could have been saved.’
Jade Casey told earlier this week how ‘heartbroken’ she felt, knowing her mother Sabrina (pictured) was in the restaurant’s disabled toilet while people there were eating and drinking
Jade said that CCTV footage showed Sabrina entering the restaurant on November 28 last year and going into the disabled toilet.
She said that they ‘aren’t sure’ why she decided to go into the restaurant but police said that there were no drugs present
Jade said: ‘There weren’t any drugs at the scene and CCTV footage showed her entering the building on the Thursday.
‘We think she broke into the disabled toilet – we think she picked the lock to get in so she didn’t have to ask for a key.
‘We aren’t sure of the circumstances of why she went in, it could have been to get warm because she had been released from prison the day before.’
Jade, from Fleetwood in Lancashire, also paid tribute to her mother – hailing her as a ‘really nice person’ who was ‘funny and kind’.
Jade added: ‘She suffered with addiction and she was in and out of homelessness for the last 25 years but she was a really nice person. She was funny and she was kind.’
And in a Facebook tribute addressing her mother, Jade wrote: ‘Despite what anyone might think they know about you, you were intelligent, you made everyone laugh, and you had a good heart and beautiful soul buried beneath all the trauma and addiction.
Erika Zazzu wrote online how Sabrina (pictured) ‘took pride in knowing her greatest achievements were her two daughters, whom she adored’
Jade Casey, 27, posted this tribute to her mother Sabrina Lyttle on Facebook
‘The drugs stripped you of all of the good parts and only left the bad for a long time but I know how hard you fought, for years, you fought so hard mum, but in the end the battle was too fierce.’
After the tragedy, The Gurkha Restaurant, Hotel and Bar issued a statement , saying: ‘On Thursday 28th November 2024 at 8.34pm, a non-customer member of the public entered the premises and asked to use the toilets.
‘As the restaurant had already closed for the evening, directions to the pub toilets, which are in a separate area of the building, were given.
‘Staff in the pub provided further directions to the general pub toilets and did not issue access to the disabled toilet.
‘Access to the separate and locked disabled toilet is gained via staff as the facility cannot be opened with a RADAR key.
‘The male and female toilets are deep-cleaned every morning and checked throughout the day, with the disabled toilet checked after every authorised use and cleaned as required, due to infrequent use.
‘Access to the disabled toilet was not requested until Friday evening around 10pm.
‘The staff with the assistance of other helpful pub customers were unable to unlock the door and as access had not been granted for the past 24 hours, it was reported as a maintenance issue to management.
‘The following day on Saturday before opening, management was unable to gain access using all secure keys and removing the locking mechanism before alerting the police.
‘We are aware of public posts that are full of information that is not correct, and we believe the speculations have not contributed positively to anyone affected, including the grieving family, the dedicated Gurkha staff and the community of Blackpool.’
