Nikki Kingdon: Bracknell mum died of alcohol overdose - inquest

The ‘fun, outgoing and bubbly’ Nikki Kingdon died of an alcohol overdose aged 38 on November 6, 2021, at her home on South Lynn Crescent.

At an inquest into her death, Reading Coroner’s Court heard how the mother-of-one was six times over the drink-drive limit having consumed a litre of alcohol and a gram of cocaine.

Despite having struggled with her mental health for many years and an undated suicide note being found in her room after her passing, a coroner ruled that Nikki did not deliberately overdose and her death was ‘accidental.’

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The Bracknell woman had been drinking with her friend on the evening of November 5, 2021, when they took her dog out for a walk at around 4am.

Nikki put on a dinosaur costume to walk the dog ‘because she thought it would be fun’, the inquest heard in a statement from her friend.

When they got back to her home, Nikki ‘downed’ a pint of vodka and Dr Pepper and passed out.

Her friend put her to bed and returned at 7.30am the same morning to walk the dog again.

It was at this time he realised Nikki was unconscious and unresponsive, prompting him to call an ambulance.

Despite best efforts to revive Nikki, she was declared dead by paramedics shortly after they arrived.

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Police found a suicide note at her property which coroner Alison McCormick described as a ‘goodbye note’ that thanked her family and friends.

Reading Coroner’s Court heard how Nikki had struggled with her mental health over two decades, which resulted in a number of suicide attempts and incidents of self-harm.

Medical and local authority records indicated she also drank heavily and participated in Alcoholics Anonymous and Bracknell Forest’s New Hope drugs and alcohol service.

Nikki found the ‘isolation and loneliness’ of the pandemic lockdowns particularly difficult, Head of Service for Bracknell Community Mental Health Service Debra Broderick told the inquest, and her abuse of substances ‘increased’ during this time.

She was put on a waiting list for a structured clinical management course in August 2020 but could not start this for a year.

However, Kendra Ainley, a service manager at the Bracknell Community Mental Health Team, said the ‘excessive’ wait did not impact Nikki’s wellbeing and the patient was always responsive when contacted.

Nikki’s programme began in August 2021 but she missed appointments in October and November in order to be with her young daughter.

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Ms Ainley said there were “no alarm bells ringing” regarding Nikki’s mental health in the days before the 38-year-old’s death.

Summing up the evidence, coroner Ms McCormick said: “There was no contact to suggest anything was wrong in the days leading up to her death.

“On the afternoon of November 5 Nikki was in good spirits and there was no concern for her mental health.

“Although police found a goodbye note in her property after her death, the note is undated and there is no evidence it was written by Nikki in anticipation of her death.”

After suggesting Nikki could have written the note before a previous suicide attempt, Ms McCormick ruled that the mother-of-one died of an accidental alcohol overdose.

The coroner noted that Nikki was not being supported by New Hope at the time of her death having asked a worker to ‘step back’ in June 2021.

‘Appropriate support’ had been provided to Nikki, the coroner said, and it “added to the tragedy that she did not live to benefit from these services,” Ms McCormick commented.

In a tribute to his sister, Ian Kingdon said: “Nikki was a fun, outgoing and bubbly person who would do anything for anybody and she was always smiling.

“She loved her daughter and her dog, Nigel.

“We all miss her so much. It was such a sad ending for a beautiful life.”

The inquest was held at Reading Town Hall on Wednesday, July 6.