Tragedy of Leyland mum, 33, who took her own life after quarrel with boyfriend

A 33-year-old mother took her own life after a row with her boyfriend, an inquest heard.
Spring Gardens where the tragedy happened.Spring Gardens where the tragedy happened.
Spring Gardens where the tragedy happened.

Stacey Lee Dunne was found hanged at her home in Leyland just hours after a turbulent night out with boyfriend Liam Hardman.

A senior officer said police launched an investigation into Stacey's death because the couple had a tempestuous past which had resulted in previous incidents of domestic violence.

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But Hardman was not at the house after being warned off by his partner's father earlier that night.

And a pathologist who carried out a post mortem said there were no signs of an assault.

Coroner Richard Taylor concluded Stacey took her own life "no doubt on the spur of the moment" after consuming alcohol and cocaine during an evening out which ended in a row.

The inquest was told Hardman was on bail, was electronically tagged and had been ordered by a court not to go near her address in Spring Gardens.

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Yet Stacey willingly went out for a meal with him and the couple returned to her home later where an argument broke out. Her father was twice called to the property to intervene and finally ordered him to leave.

"He shouldn't have been near her, or in the vicinity of her address," said DI Steve Monk.

DI Monk said the couple had been overheard by neighbours having an argument.

On her dad's first visit he was happy to leave them both at the address, but later he visited again and told Liam to leave. Stacey was heard to say: "I love him, I don't want him to go."

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Messages were exchanged between the couple later, with Stacey asking him to return to the house and Liam refusing. She then made threats to both Liam and a mutual friend "about what she was going to do to herself."

The friend told police the row had started because of "her wanting to drink more and him not wanting to."

The following morning, after failed attempts to contact Stacey by phone, Liam went round to the house and found her body.

Coroner Taylor said: "She (Stacey) was different when she had too much to drink. It sounds like she was in a relationship she wanted to be in, however toxic that might have been.

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"We know that her boyfriend shouldn't have been anywhere near. But it is quite clear she wanted him there."

He added: "She had made threats to do that (take her life) over social media and it appears friends tried to do what they could for her, trying to persuade her not to."