Woman found hanged after escaping from mental health ward, inquest hears

Sharlene Godding, aged 27, ran out of the Birch Ward at Royal Bolton Hospital where she had been sectioned in February 2017 due to poor mental health.

She went on the run and, with the help of her half brother, David Walsh, avoided police because she did not want to return to the hospital.

Miss Godding, of Deepdale Road in Breightmet, was staying at his flat when he returned from work and found her hanged in the bathroom.

The inquest into her death resumed at Bolton Coroners Court yesterday and Senior Coroner for the District of Manchester West Jennifer Leeming addressed the jury.

Mr Walsh gave evidence at the inquest into the events leading to Miss Godding’s death.

The jury heard that in July, 2011, Miss Godding and her partner had a baby boy before they broke up in 2013. In summer 2016 she was having problems with her new partner and her son was taken off her by social services.

In his statement, Mr Walsh said her mental health then deteriorated “very quickly” over a two month period.

She was admitted to Birch Ward for the first time where she stayed for three weeks before being released.

In January 2017 Miss Godding went to live with Mr Walsh in Lindfield Drive, in Halliwell.

The following month, her mental health started to deteriorate again as she struggled without seeing her son, who she eventually lost custody of.

The jury also heard that on one occasion Mr Walsh returned home and found Miss Godding sitting on the couch in the living room. When he got closer, he noticed she had dropped a wire on to the floor.

He could see that she had a red mark around her neck but when he asked her what was going on she told him she hadn’t done anything.

Throughout February, nurses and doctors visited Miss Godding and Mr Walsh was told that if she gets any worse to call an ambulance to have her sectioned.

Mr Walsh returned from work on February 24 and found a member staff from the mental health team at the door to his flat. He let them in because Miss Godding had refused.

The mental health worker said Miss Godding, who was born and grew up in Bolton, needed to be sectioned and a doctor was called.

The doctor sectioned her but police had to be called to restrain her and put her in an ambulance.

When she arrived at Royal Bolton Hospital Miss Godding continued to be aggressive towards staff and the police had to call for back-up.

Mr Walsh said: “She was as strong as an ox. It took four of them.”

Friends and family visited Miss Godding over the next few days and Mr Walsh said she was often in a ‘zombie-like’ state

On February 28 Mr Walsh said he was called by the police and they told him his half-sister had escaped from the ward and asked if he had seen her or heard form her.

That afternoon Miss Godding called him and told him she had 'done a runner' from the hospital and asked him to come pick her up.

He told her to get a taxi to his flat and she refused and told him to pick her up from Raikes Lane.

At around 3.30pm Mr Walsh went to pick her up and was driving up the slip road from the A666 when Miss Godding came running across the road out of the bushes and jumped in the front seat of the car.

The pair went to the KFC on Waters Meeting Road where she told him that she had escaped by pushing past someone and running away.

She was begging Mr Walsh not to take her back to the hospital or tell the police.

They visited a friend and asked if Miss Godding could stay there but she had been contacted by the police about the disappearance so they headed back to Mr Walsh’s address.

When they arrived he asked a neighbour if Miss Godding could stay with her because the police might come to his address looking for her and the neighbour agreed.

At around 7pm Mr Walsh went to get her and took her back to his home and she told him to lock the doors and turn off all the lights.

On March 1 Mr Walsh went to work and at around 10.25am Miss Godding called her but he couldn’t hear her so he said he would call her back later.

He tried calling her on four separate occasions but she did not answer.

When he arrived home that afternoon he shouted Miss Godding’s name but got no response before he found her hanged in the bathroom with a ligature around her neck.

Mr Walsh said he screamed her name and began pumping on her chest and called 999.

Paramedics arrived at the flat but Miss Godding was pronounced dead at the scene.

In his statement, Mr Walsh said: “I could not believe that she had taken her own life. I am very sad that at what she did. I wish I had contact the police or hospital when she rang me.

“I only wanted what was best for her.”

The inquest continues.