Great Massingham woman wasn’t taking medication for mental health condition when she shot herself – inquest hears

A “fun, lovely and happy” woman who took her own life using a shotgun refused to take medication for acute paranoia, an inquest heard.

Georgina Rose was found by her fiancee on July 31, 2023 after he returned to their home in Great Massingham after taking the dog for a walk and visiting a supermarket.

At an inquest on Monday, coroner Yvonne Blake came to a narrative conclusion that Ms Rose “had taken her own life and was suffering with her mental health”.

The court heard that at around 3.30pm that day, police had received a call from Georgina Rose’s fiancé, Michael Sloan, who said Ms Rose had taken her own life.

He told police that he had been out to take their dog for a walk, under his fiancée’s recommendation, and called into Waitrose in Swaffham on his way back.

He said goodbye to his partner before leaving and had no concerns.

Upon his return, Mr Sloan found that he was locked out, and a key had been left on the other side of their door. He shouted through the cat flap a couple of times but got no answer.

He climbed through a downstairs window and went upstairs to find his partner dead and called 999.

Ambulance and police crews arrived at the scene, and Ms Rose was pronounced dead by paramedic Carl Smith.

Mr Sloan told officers that his wife had seemed fine the day before and they were talking about rearranging a date for their wedding.

He also informed police that he had a shotgun licence, and had three guns that were kept in a safe, and only he knew where the keys were kept.

He added that he and Ms Rose had gone shooting together in the past.

Detective inspector Craig Bidwell concluded Mr Rose’s death was not suspicious.

The court heard that while the couple were on holiday together in March 2023, Georgina suffered from mental health problems and had self-harmed during the trip.

On their return, Ms Rose visited her local GP twice due to concerns raised about her mental health by her family.

She later saw a psychologist in Cambridge, who diagnosed her with acute paranoia. She was prescribed medication but refused it.

Mr Sloan described his fiancee as a “fun, lovely girl”, but said that when he raised his concerns over her mental health, she didn’t want to talk about it.

After moving to Norfolk from the Sussex area, the couple had just bought and moved into the property together.

A statement was read in the coroner’s court from Ms Rose’s father, who said that he had sorted a private psychologist for her after discovering there would be a six-month waiting list to see one via the NHS.

He added that his daughter was a “happy girl and certainly at her happiest with him (her fiancé)”.

He described his daughter as being compassionate and said she would often help people less fortunate than herself around Christmas.

He also said that Ms Rose was often good at “masking her issues”.

Coroner Ms Blake offered her condolences to Ms Rose’s family and ruled out suicide as the cause of her death, saying she didn’t believe “that she was thinking clearly”.

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