THE cause of death of a woman who died in a bungalow near Andover remains unknown following an inquest last week.

Winchester Coroner’s Court heard how Tara Brewster’s body was found in her bungalow on Chapel Lane, Enham Alamein on April 21.

Coroner Graeme Short recorded an open verdict last Tuesday because her body was so heavily decayed that a cause of death could not be established.

The inquest heard how the 48-year-old had only recently moved to Andover from the Guildford area and was living in a bungalow run by the Enham Trust.

Mental health reports revealed that she had a history of mental illness, having made several attempts to take her own life, the latest being in January of this year when she travelled to an isolated location to ingest poison from yew tree leaves fermented in alcohol.

She had been suffering from a feeling of “hopelessness and helplessness” caused by overwhelming debts and an impending eviction hearing.

The inquest heard evidence from her sister Yvette Miller detailing how her family had tried to help her but she moved to Andover and did not have any friends or family in the area.

Her teenage son Jamal had also gone to live with his father in London.

PC Peter Scamell described finding Ms Brewster’s body after Jamal had been trying to contact her at the bungalow.

When he failed to get an answer he rang the Enham Trust. A housing manager smashed a window and climbed into the property, discovering her body before calling the police. PC Scamell said: “She was in the living room on a two-seater sofa. It was clear she had been dead for some time.”

Officers found a receipt from April 13, the last confirmed time she was seen, where she bought wine, aspirin and travel sickness pills.

During their investigations they found the wine on the side, the aspirins were untouched and five travel sickness pills were missing.

Giving evidence at the inquest, pathologist Dr Hayley Burnley from the Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester, confirmed that the body was in an advanced state of decay.

There were traces of travel sickness pills in her system, but not enough to cause her death. There was no evidence of wine or aspirin in the toxicology tests.

Recording his conclusion, Mr Short said: “It is very hard when the body is not found for over a week for the pathologist. Though it is possible there was a natural cause of death I cannot rule out some form of self harm, which has not been established.

It is conceivable that Tara had some form of accident and fell on the sofa, but again, there is not enough evidence to reach that conclusion."