Woman, 26, was found dead in £1,000-a-night presidential suite at Hilton in Manchester after taking cocaine on date with man, 52, as family demand new police probe
- Charlotte Bowcock, 26, was found dead in Hilton hotel room on August 16
- Coroner recorded a verdict of ‘drug-related death’ from cardiotoxicity
- Parents said Ms Bowcock had never taken drugs before and was careful
- She died after going on a date and going back to his posh hotel room
The grieving family of student found dead in a hotel room after going on a date have called for police to re-investigate the circumstances.
Charlotte Bowcock, 26, had left her home on August 15 last year to go for dinner with a man called Paul Jackson, 52.
After their meal at sushi restaurant Australasia on Manchester’s Deansgate they went back to his £1,000-a-night presidential suite at the Hilton Hotel.
But at 8am the next day he phoned the emergency services who rushed to the scene to discover she had died.
Her inquest at Manchester Coroners’ Court on Thursday heard a post mortem had revealed she had ingested cocaine and her prescription medication.
Ms Bowcock’s family said they are haunted about what happened and believe there are questions about what happened that night.
Months before her death, she had been in agony with period pains and asked her mum to drive her to A&E when she was scared of overdosing on two paracetamol she took earlier than she should have, the inquest was told.
Her father Sydney Bowcock said: ‘This is where she was at with her medications, she was always careful.
‘I was thinking of bringing her here today because it is what we are left with now. Her ashes. I may come over as a crazed, demented and grief-stricken parent and maybe one or two of these are true. Where do you go from here? All I am asking is that the police look into this.’
Charlotte Bowcock, 26, was found dead in Hilton hotel room on August 16 after a date
After their meal they went back to his £1,000-a-night presidential suite at the Hilton Hotel
The inquest heard Ms Bowcock had never taken drugs and very seldom drank alcohol.
During the hearing coroner Zak Golombeck read statements from Mr Jackson, the paramedics who came when he called 999 at 8am and police officers who arrived to search the room.
CCTV footage showed Mr Jackson and Ms Bowcock drinking champagne and cocktails at the restaurant on the night of their date.
They went back to the hotel at around 1am, with Mr Jackson leaving at 2am to get two cans of lemonade and chocolate from reception before returning.
Nobody else left their room or went inside until 8am when the paramedics arrived.
Mr Jackson, who was not at the inquest, initially told paramedics that the pair had taken cocaine and had been drinking, but later said they hadn’t taken any drugs to police and that he ‘didn’t want Charlotte to get into trouble’.
Det Insp Mark Astbury, who went to the hotel at around 8.20am, said there had been ‘no evidence’ of drug use in the room but that it was impossible to say if the pair had taken cocaine there, at the bars, in the toilets or before they arrived.
He also said that there had been no-third party involvement in Charlotte’s death and that Mr Jackson was never treated as a suspect.
Nobody else left their room, pictured, or went inside until 8am when the paramedics arrived
But the coroner declined to let the family ask him any more questions about the events on August 15 and 16, saying: ‘It is simply not relevant to the purpose of this inquest.’
Other body-worn footage from that morning showed white powder on the floor but DI Astbury said he didn’t see anything suspicious when he searched the room.
He said: ‘I didn’t see any white powder. I don’t know if was talcum powder or what it is, I’m not sure.
‘I did a thorough search and we didn’t see any white powder. It’s a huge hotel room.’
Patrick Cassidy, a barrister representing the family, asked whether the investigation would have changed if he had spotted the white powder.
The coroner said he would be unable to allow him to ask further questions about the white powder, adding: ‘Unless you are suggesting criminality and then suspension of this hearing.’
Mr Golombeck took 25 minutes to decide the verdict of a ‘drug-related death’.
He said Ms Bowcock had died from cardiotoxicity after taking her prescription medication and cocaine at some point in the evening of August 15 or in the early hours of August 16.
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News after the inquest, the family said they felt ‘let down’ and ‘disappointed’.
Mr Bowcock, who filed an official complaint to the police about their investigation, said: ‘We’ve not had any closure.
‘I was shut down at the inquest. I know it is not a criminal court but one of the things the inquest is for is to find out how she came to her death – this is what I wanted to know, how. We are chasing the answer, how?
‘We can only hope that somebody listens to us. We feel so strongly about this that we actually have sold our home to accommodate for cash to fight this, we are not going to let it go. It’s not justice to me.
‘I’m not going to rest until this is resolved. I’m not a deranged person, I just want justice.’
A spokesman from Greater Manchester Police said: ‘Firstly, our thoughts and deepest sympathies remain with Mr Bowcock and his family at this difficult time.
‘GMP received a complaint from Mr Bowcock, which was in turn dealt with by the City of Manchester District.
‘A letter outlining the outcome of the complaint was sent to Mr Bowcock on the 6th October 2020, which addressed the complaint in full. This was then subject to review by the Mayor’s Office.
‘The review was not upheld, and the matter was referred to the Coroner’s Office which concluded its inquest on June 10.
‘GMP is always open to learning and improving where appropriate, however in this case GMP found no misconduct and a thorough investigation was carried out.
‘Our thoughts are with friends and family of Charlotte following her tragic death.’
A spokesman for Manchester Coroner’s Court said they would be unable to comment on a case following judicial proceedings.
Source: Read Full Article
