Forensic pathologist, Dr. Alexander Kolar, gave important expert testimony in the inquest at Worcestershire Coroner's Court concerning the earlier death of Grace Gardner, a bar worker. Kolar said that the path of death could have gone in three different directions that were likely to be linked. He opined Gardner suffered a very severe facial injury during a dog attack; which could have been exacerbated by a heart condition that put her at risk of very sudden death. In turn he stated this condition was very probably created because of the very harmful effects of the drugs she had been using.
Ms. Gardner, 21, was pronounced dead at her partner's home in Bewdley on April 23, 2024. During the court hearings, it was suggested that a dog living at the house might have eaten the drugs that were lying on the ground and that this might have led to the animal attacking Ms. Gardner.
Coroner Deborah Lakin had to deliver a narrative verdict. She could not determine, with any certainty, whether the dog was under the influence of drugs. She could not say for sure what effect, if any, the drugs in the deceased's system had on the dogs.
On the second day of the two-day hearing, Dr. Kolar explained the complicated circumstances that led to the death of Ms. Gardner when he said: "We have three potential events that would be expected to interact with each other to make a bad situation worse. It was not possible to establish a precise contribution for each component.
During a hearing led by Assistant Coroner Deborah Lakin, it was disclosed that three dogs—a lurcher, a whippet cross, and a Staffordshire bull terrier—were put down after being taken from the property in question.
Dr. Kolar explained that the wound suffered by Ms. Gardner was most significant and exactly the sort of thing a person might sustain if a dog or dogs were attacking. One notable absence, however, was significant as well: There were no defensive injuries, suggesting that Ms. Gardner was either unconscious or unable to move when the dog was going after her. The doctor told the court she was alive when this was going on.
The inquest's first session started with evidence from Ms. Gardner's partner, Mr. Reece Wilkes, a doorman at a public house. He told the inquest that he had been in bed with Ms. Gardner the night she was injured and that when he woke up, he saw a "cut" on her face. At the time, she was being licked by the family pet lurcher, which Mr. Wilkes claims to have trained to lick people's faces only.
Mr. Wilkes's mother, Maria Wilkes, also gave her account. She said she had contacted emergency services by dialing 999 and had started administering CPR when she found tablets strewn all over the floor. She told the operators she suspected Ms. Gardner and possibly the dog had ingested the tablets.
A colleague of Ms. Gardner said she was "spiralling out of control" and showing signs of drug abuse in the weeks leading up to her death.
Dr. Kolar stated that he had never come across—the two substances found in Ms. Gardner's system—nor has he since. Also, her brain tissue was found to have recent axonal damage. This could have been caused by drugs, an overdose, or inadequate perfusion of her brain.
The inquest also revealed that certain tests carried out after death showed that Ms. Gardner had serious hardening of the coronary arteries. This condition, atherosclerosis, was found to be extremely advanced for someone of Ms. Gardner's age.
Tests showed that her arteries were not only hardened but also clogged with cholesterol and other substances. Dr. Kolar stated, "The facial injuries were sufficiently severe to explain death. Furring of the coronary arteries was significant enough to put her at risk of sudden death at any point. The drugs together provide a potential independent cause of death."
He expanded on this, saying, 'Each alone could explain a death'.
The precise cause of death was a "sudden death occurring in the context of facial trauma, heart disease, and drugs," stated Dr. Kolar.
Grace worked at the Port House pub in Stourport, before she left last year. Katie McPhilimey, marketing director for Davenports, who owns the pub, said: "The team at The Port House are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Grace.
Expert Testimony:
Expert testimony was provided during the inquest proceedings by veterinary surgeon David Martin. He made clear to the court that he couldn't determine if a single bite or several bites had caused the injury, nor could he say which dog had bitten the person on the right side of the face.
Moreover, he believed that the dog's severity of injuries was not consistent with a dog just trying to wake someone up. Instead, he claimed it was more suggestive of "an intentional aggressive act.
Before providing a narrative conclusion, Mrs. Lakin said that Ms. Gardner had been a "loving daughter, loving sister and loving friend," and throughout the inquest, it was evident that she was "clearly very popular and very loved."
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