Woman overdosed after cooking Christmas dinner (From Southend Standard)

Southend woman died on Christmas Day after cooking for partner and friends

6:20pm Tuesday 30th October 2012 in Echo News By David Trayner

A MIDDLE aged woman overdosed on drugs and alcohol shortly after cooking Christmas dinner.

Andrea Jones, 46, died of a drug overdose and acute alcohol poisoning at her home in Crowstone Avenue, Westcliff, last Christmas Day after cooking dinner for her partner and the home’s other residents, an inquest at Southend Coroners Court heard yesterday.

Halfway through the dinner she retired to her room complaining of feeling woozy.

She returned 15 minutes later but had to go back to bed later.

Her partner of 14 years, Mark Letton, found her lying on the floor by the side of the bed unresponsive and started performing CPR. Paramedics arrived but could not revive the catering assistant, who had a history of drug dependency.

The inquest failed to reveal what drugs and how much alcohol were found in Ms Jones’s system.

Mr Letton said: “She was a very loving person and the life and soul of the party.

“She was the sort of person who would do anything for anyone and would put others first.”

Recording a narrative verdict, coroner Yvonne Blake said: “Andrea died suddenly at home on Christmas Day 2011 following the ingestion of drugs and an unknown amount of alcohol.”