Pensioner 'troubled by letters from authorities' inquest told

But in reality, 67-year-old Patricia Ann Somers had nothing to worry about, the hearing in Newbury Town Hall was told last Wednesday, June 25.
Her former husband James Ranson-Barber said Ms Somers, who lived at warden controlled flats in Carnarvon Place, Newbury, would enjoy Sunday lunch with him at his nearby home most weekends.
He said he became concerned when she did not arrive as arranged on September 1 last year and, when she did not answer the phone, he used a key she had given him to enter her home.
Mr Ranson-Barber found her lying on a bed, apparently lifeless, and called emergency services and her son, Paul.
Paramedics were unable to revive her and Det Sgt Neil Williams of Newbury CID and colleagues found pills scattered around, including some beneath her body and some in her mouth, the inquest heard.
The cause of death was determined to be due to the combined toxicity of several prescription drugs, each with central nervous system depressant action.
The inquest was also told that Mr Somers had attempted several previous overdoses after struggling with depression.
Her son Paul said in a statement that his mother was often upset by letters from social services or from authorities concerning tax or pension credits and wrongly interpreted these to mean she was in trouble which would bring dire consequences.
Berkshire coroner Peter Bedford said: “She wasn’t a well woman and must have struggled with some of her symptoms. She was on a lot of medication and previous overdoses have been well documented.
“She was constantly misinterpreting correspondence, thinking she had done something wrong and that there would be serious repercussions.”
He added: “It must have come as a shock to her ex-husband and her son to find her. I can say with confidence she had taken a significant amount of medication, a level which, sadly, resulted in her death.
“Even without the presence of a note, the levels involved and the history persuade me she took that overdose with a deliberate intent that it would end her life. I find that she took her own life while suffering from depression and anxiety.”