A mum who was found dead in a locked toilet cubicle at a Blackpool restaurant may have entered the space to “keep warm,” an inquest heard. Sabrina Lyttle, 47, a mother of two, was discovered lifeless inside the disabled toilet of the Gurkha Hotel Pub and Restaurant nearly 48 hours after she was last seen entering it.
Her body was found on November 30 last year after staff, concerned by the locked door, peered through the keyhole and spotted her motionless inside. Police forced the door open and found a crack pipe, a magazine, a carrier bag, and some Bakewell cherry tarts next to her.
Detective Inspector Liam Davy, who led the investigation into her death, told the court that there was no sign of foul play.
“My hypothesis at the time was she possibly entered the toilet to keep warm and that her death was caused by the drugs or because of a medical episode. There was no evidence of outside involvement.”
Sabrina had likely died shortly after entering the restroom on the evening of November 28.
She had recently been released from prison after serving three weeks of an eight-week sentence for theft, and she had a history of drug use. Toxicology reports confirmed the presence of cocaine, Valium, methadone, and a small amount of alcohol in her system.
Dr Richard Shepherd, a consultant forensic pathologist, explained that her reduced tolerance to drugs after her time in prison could have made the substances in her system more lethal.
“It is really difficult to tell because it all depends on her tolerance to these drugs,” he said.
“A period in prison – even one as short as this – and the non-use of a drug like cocaine can see tolerance levels decrease extremely rapidly.”
Her family wept in court as the details were shared. Her daughter Jade Casey, 27, and mother Christine, 68, said they were still uncertain why Sabrina went into the toilet that night.
Friend Erika Zazzu, who organised a GoFundMe appeal in her memory, described her as “a person who was in pain and who dealt with that pain as best she could,” and a devoted mother to her two daughters.
Restaurant staff, who attended the inquest but did not give evidence, had previously stated they believed Sabrina had somehow picked the lock to enter the toilet, which had not been used again until her body was discovered.