A 49-year-old woman died at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford after deliberately administering insulin injections to her three children at the family residence, an inquest held at Oxford Coroner’s Court has determined.
The woman passed away following the withdrawal of life-sustaining medical intervention.
Despite receiving extensive intensive care, the hypoxic-ischaemic brain damage she sustained proved fatal.
Coroner Nicholas Graham concluded that her death resulted from a neuroglycopenic brain injury and classified the manner of death as suicide.
Thames Valley Police Detective Sergeant Michael Neath informed the inquest that the woman had arranged for her children to accompany her under the premise that the family was travelling abroad for a holiday.
She told them the injections were intended to prevent jet lag.
Emergency services attended the property after receiving reports from neighbours expressing concern.
One child was declared deceased at the location, while the two remaining children required hospitalisation before being discharged.
During the inquest proceedings, Coroner Graham stated that the woman’s access to her children played a significant role in the circumstances leading to her deliberate act of self-harm.
He described how the intentional administration caused severe hypoglycaemia and hypothermia, resulting in irreversible brain damage.
The court heard that the woman had experienced marital difficulties and that allegations had been made between her and her husband.
Her general practitioner had diagnosed her with mixed anxiety and depressive disorder, though insulin had never been prescribed to her by the practice.
Prior to the incident, the woman had been receiving therapeutic support from a psychotherapist who was providing parenting guidance.
The sessions focused on difficulties she faced in connection with legal proceedings involving her former spouse.
In her statement to the court, the psychotherapist observed that the woman had appeared vulnerable with marginally elevated narcissistic characteristics.
The senior investigating officer overseeing the case described the incident as an unimaginable tragedy.
Local elected representatives issued a joint statement expressing their heartbreak and extending condolences to those affected by the events.
Calum Miller MP offered his deepest sympathies, noting that the community would experience profound shock as residents processed what had occurred.
A local clergyman subsequently invited residents to pause for reflection and light candles in remembrance of the deceased child.