Pc who had slashed her wrists was found hanged in hospital

Andrea Jayne Shelton, a 45-year-old, mother-of-one, who worked in the mounted section at South Yorkshire Police, was found by her husband, Paul, in the kitchen of their home in the early hours of January 17.

She had cut herself in the groin area and both her wrists.

Initially she was taken to Pontefract General Infirmary where the wounds to her wrists were treated before being transferred to Pinderfields.

Her husband, a serving police officer with West Yorkshire Police, spent as much time comforting her as he could throughout the permitted visiting hours of January 18.

At 4am on January 19 another patient on the surgical ward buzzed for a nurse to be given medication. When she arrived she noticed Mrs Shelton was not in her bed and a light was illuminated in the toilet area of the ward.

When she checked it she found Mrs Shelton suspended by her dressing gown cord.

She was immediately cut down and resuscitation administered while urgent medical help was summoned. However, she was pronounced dead at 4.35pm.

West Yorkshire Police scenes-of-crime officers attended the scene and a number of enquiries are taking place into the tragic circumstances of Mrs Shelton's death.

An inquest into the death of Mrs Shelton, who lived in the Low Ackworth area of Pontefract, has been opened and adjourned.

A full file will be submitted by the police to Wakefield Coroner's Office in due course.

A spokeswoman for West Yorkshire Police said: ''We were called to Pinderfields on January 19 to a report of the sudden death of a woman.

"There were no suspicious circumstances so a file will be prepared for the coroner.''

A spokeswoman for Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust said: "Ambulance staff attended a medical incident around 6.20am on 17 January 2011. A female patient was treated at the scene before being transported to Pontefract General Infirmary for further care."

Professor Tim Hendra, Medical Director at The Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "The death of this woman is a tragedy which is the subject of thorough investigation. We are working closely with the police in support of their enquiries.

Our thoughts and sympathies are with her family at this time."

Pc Shelton had worked for South Yorkshire Police for just over 27 years and was a mounted officer in Operational Support Services, a unit which also operates the force's traffic vehicles, helicopters and dogs. Her last role was as a member of the Operational Planning Team.

Last night Deputy Chief Constable Bob Dyson said: ''It is very sad to lose a colleague in these circumstances. Jayne was highly respected within South Yorkshire Police and everyone's thoughts are with her family and friends at this very difficult time.''

Inspector Bob Pitt of the Police Federation, which represents rank and file officers, added: ''It is very difficult to find the words to truly express our grief and the feelings of loss in these circumstances. Jayne was a popular officer who had done her service in Doncaster, the mounted section and Operational Support. She was a happy, vibrant individual and it is such a sad loss.

''We all feel so desperately sorry for her husband. Her death came as a complete shock to everbody and she will be very sadly missed.''

Andrew Tempest-Mitchell, chairman-elect of the West Yorkshire Police Federation, added: ''I have been giving some support to Jayne's husband Paul.

"What has happened is very dreadful. My understanding is that Jayne was a well-liked colleague in South Yorkshire Police – someone who was committed wholeheartedly to the Police Force.

''Her husband Paul is a serving officer in the West Yorkshire Police Force and we have tried to provide what assistance we can to him.''