‘Mystery’ death of woman jailed for sex with boy, 13

A MOTHER-of-four who was jailed for having sex with a 13-year-old boy was found dead by her partner after drinking at least four bottles of wine.

Sarah Webster, 30, was found near a radiator in the living room at her Leeds flat in the early hours of February 5 by Ian Daley.

An inquest heard she had been involved in a “tempestuous and often violent relationship” with him for 11 years which often resulted in domestic violence.

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Initially, Mr Daley, then 32, was arrested on suspicion of murder but Leeds Coroner’s Court heard that police had subsequently released him.

Despite extensive attempts to discover the cause of her death coroner David Hinchliff apologised to members of her family who attended the inquest saying it was impossible to say how she had died.

Addressing them directly, Mr Hinchliff said: “I do appreciate what a very unsatisfactory state of affairs this is.”

He said that although the cause of death was unknown there was an “asphyxiate element to her death”, there were some food particles in her lungs and pinprick haemorrhaging around her eyes.

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Referring to the post-mortem examination he added that “smothering could have caused it” and “posture could have an effect”.

He said: “I cannot rule out the smothering, aspiration, postural element to this.”

On the day of her death Ms Webster had drunk between four and five one-and-a-half litre bottles of cheap wine, including Lambrini.

Recording an open verdict Mr Hinchliff said: “She had a good deal of alcohol to drink. I am aware she was a regular user of alcohol.”

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Mr Daley told the court that she had been drinking throughout the day and during the evening had become “upset and belligerent”.

According to Mr Daley she asked him to leave or go to bed which he did do, leaving her sitting on a quilt on the floor.

When he came down to use the toilet in the early hours of the following morning he saw her still there. Mr Hinchliff said: “He noticed she was unresponsive and panicked and went to his parents nearby.”

When they returned with him to the house in Aberfield Drive they called an ambulance and she was confirmed dead.

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The court heard that Ms Webster had been butted by Mr Daley in the days leading up to her death and had been left with two black eyes and a bruised nose.

Detective Inspector Nicholas Wallen said a file on his the incident had been prepared for the Crown Prosecution Service but it had not been proceeded with. The court heard the couple’s four children, who are aged five, six, seven and nine, are now being cared for by relatives. In April 2008 Ms Webster, then 27, was handed a 12-month sentence suspended for two years after she admitted sexual activity with a child.

When sentenced at Leeds Crown Court she was told she must stick to a two-year supervision order and live at a probation hostel for a year.

But in December 2008 the court was told Webster had ignored the order and Judge Rodney Grant activated the suspended sentence and jailed the mother for 12 months.

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The original hearing was told that Webster had sex with the 13-year-old boy between December 2007 and January 2008 and while she was on bail for that offence the teenager went back to her house and was discovered by police in bed with her again.

Webster was also made subject to a sexual offences prevention order that banned her from contacting the boy or from inviting male children under the age of 16 to her house and her name was placed on the sex offenders’ register for 10 years.

At the time, the father of the young boy said he was not overly concerned about his boy’s relationship with Webster.

Speaking after the case, he said: “We were not bothered about him seeing Sarah. Sarah is a family friend and we get on with her.”

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