Inquest hears whether biting dog fuelled by drugs

A bar worker may have died from a severe facial wound caused by a dog attack, from coronary artery disease posing a risk of sudden death, or the effects of her drug use, a forensic pathologist told an inquest.

Dr Alexander Kolar told Worcestershire Coroner's Court any of the issues could have caused the death of 21-year-old Grace Gardner, who was pronounced dead at her partner's home in Bewdley on 23 April 2024.

During the hearing, there was suggestion a dog at the property may have consumed pills found on the floor there, leading to the attack.

But recording a narrative verdict, coroner Deborah Lakin said she was unable to make findings about whether that attack was impacted by drugs.

Of the possible causes of death, Dr Kolar told the second day of the two-day hearing: "We have three potential events that would be expected to interact with each other to make a bad situation worse.

"It was not possible to establish a precise contribution for each component."

Ms Lakin heard three dogs - a lurcher, a whippet cross and a Staffordshire bull terrier - were put down after being recovered from the house on Wassell Drive.

Dr Kolar said Ms Gardner had suffered a wound "of very great significance" consistent with a dog attack yet had no defensive injuries, suggesting, he said, she was either unconscious or immobile at the time.

"She was alive when at least some, theoretically all, of her facial injuries were facilitated," he told the court.

Post-mortem tests showed Ms Gardner's body contained traces of a synthetic opioid, an illegally-manufactured "designer Benzo" drug and low levels of cocaine, Dr Kolar said.

The hearing was told a friend of Ms Gardner described her as "spiralling out of control" while appearing to be abusing drugs in the weeks before she died.

Dr Kolar stated he had not encountered two of the drugs found in Ms Gardner's system previously or since the death, and tests on her brain had shown evidence of recent axonal damage, possibly caused by drug use or an overdose, or a lack of blood flow.

The inquest heard other post-mortem tests showed furring of the coronary arteries which was "very, very significant" for someone of Ms Gardner's age.

"The facial injuries were sufficiently severe to explain death. Furring of the coronary arteries was significant enough to put her at risk of sudden death at any point. The drugs together provide a potential independent cause of death," Dr Kolar said.

"Each individually could be an explanation for death."

The stated cause of death was a "sudden death arising in the context of "facial injuries, coronary artery disease and drug usage", Dr Kolar said.

The first day of the inquest had heard evidence from Ms Gardner's partner, pub doorman Reece Wilkes, who told the court he woke up in bed to see a "cut" on her face as she was being licked by his family's pet lurcher.

In separate evidence, Mr Wilkes's mother, Maria Wilkes, said she had phoned 999 and performed CPR, having seen tablets on the floor which she told operators she believed had been consumed by Ms Gardner and possibly by a dog.

Vet David Martin, giving evidence as an expert witness, told the court he could not determine whether the wound was caused by one bite or more, or which of the dogs inflicted it.

He added the severity of the injury was inconsistent with a dog attempting to rouse someone, and instead was "an intentional aggressive act".

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