Dog attack woman may have had heart disease

INQUEST FINDS BAR WORKER HAD CONDITION WHICH COULD HAVE KILLED HER

- MATTHEW COOPER News Reporter

A BAR worker may have died from a severe facial wound from a dog attack, coronary artery disease or the effects of drugs, a forensic pathologist has told an inquest.

Dr Alexander Kolar told Worcestershire Coroner's Court there were three potential independent causes of the death of 21-year-old Grace Gardner, who was pronounced dead at her partner's home in Wassell Drive, Bewdley, on April 23 last year.

A two-day hearing was told a friend described Ms Gardner as "spiralling out of control" while appearing to be abusing drugs in the weeks before she died and post-mortem tests showed her body contained traces of a synthetic opioid, an illegally-manufactured "designer Benzo" drug and low levels of cocaine, Dr Kolar said by video-link in evidence to the court.

Dr Kolar said Ms Gardner had suffered a wound "of very great significance" consistent with a dog attack but had no defensive injuries, suggesting she was either unconscious or immobile at the time of the attack.