Rainham mum who took her life was 'abandoned by authorities'

Lynda-Mai Stewart, 59, was found dead in her room at an assisted living complex in Magnum Close, Rainham, after a friend raised concerns she was not answering her phone.

She had taken what a coroner described as “dangerous, excessive amounts of powerful drugs” – one an opioid painkiller, the other an epilepsy drug.

Mrs Stewart had struggled with homelessness, alcohol and drug addiction and the death of her daughter, an inquest heard last Friday (May 23).

David Day, described by assistant coroner Ian Wade KC as Mrs Stewart’s “dear friend and companion”, supplied a sworn statement saying he had known her since 1997.

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She formerly lived in Bourne Close, Basildon, he wrote, but was “subject to verbal abuse and physical threats” from a neighbour, so serious that police were involved and “recommended she move”.

“She left the property and approached Basildon Council, but no help was forthcoming,” wrote Mr Day.

“Abandoned by the authorities,” he said, his friend became homeless, at one point sleeping in a caravan.

She then suffered the loss of her daughter.

“She often spoke about her daughter, who had passed,” said Kerry Christiansen, Mrs Stewart’s neighbour in Magnum Close.

“I know that she felt grief. She had never visited her daughter’s grave and I know that this was eating her up.”

Mrs Stewart had also battled alcohol and crack cocaine dependency and twice been hospitalised after seemingly deliberate drug overdoses.

But by late 2023 she had got clean and was discharged from a local drug and alcohol service.

Her GP described her as “proactive in her attempt to address her housing situation”.

She was eventually accepted onto Havering Council’s homelessness register and placed in hostels and hotels, before being housed in Magnum Close, Rainham.

“She felt let down and abandoned by Havering Council,” said Mr Day’s sworn statement.

“The last straw was when she fell up the stairs and broke a tooth.”

The unavailability of dentists has gained national attention, with reports last year that millions of people in England could not access NHS dental care.

According to Mr Day, Mrs Stewart’s GP said she should not be climbing stairs, but Havering had housed her in a property with an upstairs toilet.

Police found what the coroner called “two poignant, heart-wrenching notes” beside her body, which we cannot report in detail due to Samaritans guidelines on preventing copycat suicides.

But one note echoed Mr Day’s words, saying her fall on the stairs had been “the last straw”.

“Can’t get into a dentist, and it’s not for lack of trying,” she wrote.

Toxicology tests found a painkiller in her system at six times the fatal concentration and an epilepsy drug at almost three times the fatal level.

Mr Wade ruled Mrs Stewart’s death a suicide.

She was survived by a son, James, who did not attend the hearing. Mr Day did attend.

“Please convey the court’s sympathy and sorrow to James,” Mr Wade told Mr Day. “I absolutely understand his despair.”

Basildon Council said Mrs Stewart was a tenant in Bourne Close from April 2017, “during which time Basildon Council provided her with ongoing advice and support”.

“Our records show that there was no further contact with Mrs Stewart after 2020, and her tenancy formally ended in September 2021,” it said.

Havering Council said: “We were very saddened to hear of Lynda Stewart’s death and send our condolences to her family and loved ones.

“We did everything we could to support Lynda Stewart with her accommodation. We have no record of any concerns from Lynda or her family that Magnum Close was not suitable for her needs.

“We will of course cooperate with the coroner with any further investigation into her death.”

When life is difficult, Samaritans are here – day or night, 365 days a year. You can call them for free on 116 123, email them at jo@samaritans.org, or visit www.samaritans.org to find your nearest branch.