A WOMAN who hanged herself the day after her 23rd birthday had told police hours earlier that she wanted to commit suicide, an inquest heard today.

Lauren Pringle, who had split from her boyfriend two days before, was escorted home from Bicester town centre by officers at 2am on October 11, because they believed she was drunk and vulnerable.

Ten hours later, she was found hanged at her flat in the town’s Chaffinch Road.

Pc Jon Milne told Oxfordshire Coroner’s Court Miss Pringle had said she wanted to end her life as officers took her home, but added he took it as an “off-the-cuff remark”.

He told the inquest he was familiar with the former Blessed George Napier School pupil, who grew up in Weston-on-the-Green. He said she appeared “very emotional” when he saw her in Market Square just before 2am.

Asked whether it was common for police to drive drunk people home, he replied: “If we can help by taking someone home we will do.”

Miss Pringle’s father, Martin, asked Pc Milne if he had heard her talking about killing herself that night.

He answered: “She did mention it, that she felt like killing herself, but unfortunately I’ve seen her on numerous occasions before and she had mentioned it to me before.

“With hindsight, clearly my actions would have been different but it wasn’t as if she had said it as emotionally.

“It (suicide) wasn’t the last thing she said, otherwise I would have clearly taken different actions.”

Special Constable Nataleigh Tancred said she also heard the comments, but added: “Immediately after that she said she was sorry and said she was going to go home and get into bed.”

Two other police officers, dealing with an unrelated investigation, called at Miss Pringle’s home at about 9.30am the same morning, but had not been told of their colleagues’ involvement with her hours earlier.

When they got no answer they left a calling card.

Friend Athena Richardson said she had been out drinking with Miss Pringle and had been called by her at 5am “drunk and emotional”. The pair agreed to meet up later that day.

A toxicology report said Miss Pringle had 134 microgrammes of alcohol in her blood; 80 microgrammes is the drink drive limit.

Coroner Nicholas Gardiner recorded a verdict of that she took her own life. He said the police’s decision not to check up on Miss Pringle after dropping her off was “a reasonable end to their task that day”.

After the inquest, Mr Pringle said the family did not blame the police. Mr Pringle and his wife Julia added their daughter could “walk into a room and just make friends with people” but had struggled to deal with the break-up of her relationship.

tairs@oxfordmail.co.uk