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A Big Issue seller and mum-of-three from South London was found dead at a property in Plymouth last year after taking a lethal cocktail of drugs, an inquest has heard.
Nicola Palmer, 33, who grew up in Lewisham, South London died in November 2020 following a missing persons inquiry.
The inquest heard that Ms Palmer, who had worked as a Big Issue seller in Plymouth, had been living at a hostel when staff there reported her missing on November 27, reports Plymouth Live.
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The next day police forced entry to a property in Stonehouse, and after attempting CPR she was pronounced dead at the scene. A man was arrested on suspicion of possession of drugs with intent to supply.
The inquest heard that Miss Palmer had a ‘troubled’ upbringing growing up in South London and went to live with her aunt after the relationship with her mum and stepdad broke down
She had two children, but lost custody due to a struggle with drug addiction. Following the birth of her third child her drug use increased and they were also taken into care.
According to the charity, Harbour, which supports those with drug addiction, Miss Palmer sought help a number of times following a period of homelessness. She had lived on the streets for a short while with a man.
Describing her as a ‘loving niece’ in a testimony, her aunt, who had urged her to get support, said: “Nikki’s life wasn’t an easy one, it was like trying to stop a runaway train.”
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Post-mortem evidence heard that Miss Palmer’s cause of death was multiple drug toxicity
Assistant coroner Deborah Archer told the inquest that the 33-year-old used drugs to ‘feel normal’ after being unable to be with her children.
“Over the years she had built up a large tolerance to large quantities of drugs,” she added.
She also said that the drugs Ms Palmer had taken that day “would have affected her brain’s ability to send messages to the rest of her organs like her heart.”
Coroner Archer said that she had to consider whether Nicola had ended her own life, but concluded that this was not the case. She concluded it was a drugs related death.
Ms Archer offered her condolences to Miss Palmer’s family.
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