A coroner’s inquest has heard that a woman was left lying dead in her bed for four days after her partner believed she was simply asleep following heavy alcohol consumption.
Lyudmila Skotcher, 45, was found dead at her home in Norwich, England, after emergency services were called to the property several days later.
The court heard that Lyudmila was last seen alive on 12 October, when CCTV captured her laughing and shopping for alcohol with her partner, Matthew Burgess.
According to evidence presented at the inquest, the couple returned home, where Lyudmila reportedly said she wanted to lie down. Burgess later told police that he believed she had either fallen asleep or passed out after drinking, so he covered her with a blanket before leaving the flat.
When he returned the following day and found her in the same position, he again assumed she remained unconscious and did not seek medical assistance. It was only after noticing a strong odour from her body several days later that he contacted emergency services.
Paramedics arrived at the property at around 4am and confirmed that Lyudmila had already been dead for several days.
A post-mortem examination concluded that her death was caused by acute alcohol intoxication. Toxicology tests found 339 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood, more than four times the legal drink-driving limit in England.
The inquest also heard that Burgess initially told paramedics he had not visited the property before emergency services arrived. However, CCTV footage later showed he had returned to the flat several times after Lyudmila was last seen alive.
Police initially treated the death as suspicious after Lyudmila was found with blood around her nose and mouth, as well as bruising on her abdomen. However, investigators found no evidence of an assault or struggle, and a post-mortem ruled out any third-party involvement.
Assistant Coroner Christopher Leach concluded that Lyudmila died from alcohol intoxication, noting that she had struggled with long-term alcohol dependency.
Her former husband, Stephen Scotcher, who attended the inquest with their son, said Lyudmila had battled alcohol addiction for years, which he believed stemmed from childhood trauma. While accepting the medical findings, he expressed sadness that emergency medical help had not been sought sooner.
He said he believed the outcome might have been different had assistance been called on the first night.
