AN inquest heard tributes to a 'kind and generous' Carlisle mother of three who faced many troubles in her life.

Karen Kirkman, 54, was found dead in her Denton Street home on June 3, 2021.

An inquest heard that Ms Kirkman had a long history of alcohol misuse and mental health issues.

Her partner of three years, Paul Corrie, had found her when he went to her home having being phoned by mental health staff who said they had been unable to contact her.

Assistant coroner Craig Smith, sitting in the Coroner's Court in Cockermouth, heard a statement from Ms Kirkman's daughter, Rebecca Warburton.

Ms Warburton told the inquest her mother was born in Carlisle and went to Harraby Secondary School.

"Her upbringing was not the best, it was quite abusive," she said.

She left home around 17 and was pregnant at 18. Ms Warburton's parents split up shortly after she was born.

Ms Kirkman was then in a relationship with another man, who was in the Army. They had a son and moved to Germany for a couple of years.

They later split up and Ms Kirkman and the children moved back to a women's respite hostel in Carlisle due to being homeless.

"I remember my mother being quite a heavy drinker. She was on and off anti-depressants," said Ms Warburton.

Ms Kirkman then got together with another man and had a second daughter. They were together for 22 years, said Ms Warburton.

She and her brother both left home aged 16.

When she split up with him "I believe my mother's drinking became worse", she said.

Ms Kirkman worked at Routledge's The Baker in Carlisle.

"My mum was the life and soul of the party when not drinking. She was kind and generous and always laughing. She would carry out charity work," said Ms Warburton.

"Her death is tragic. She lived such a troubled life and I was not able to intervene for many reasons.

"I will always cherish the happy memories we had together."

Mr Corrie told the inquest Ms Kirkman went on a detox programme in October 2020.

"She was sober for two months," he said. But on Christmas Eve 2020 she suffered a stroke and was hospitalised.

She returned to drinking and was back in hospital in May, having fallen down the stairs. She was injured but discharged herself.

"She was a fantastic, fun-loving person. I miss her daily," he said.

Simon Roberts, the clinical lead for Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust, told the inquest Ms Kirkman had "a long history of alcohol abuse dating back over 30 years".

"She attempted on several occasions to control this but was unsuccessful," he said.

She experienced sexual abuse as a young child and had a history of abusive relationships, he said.

She had a history of depression, anxiety and PTSD and was referred to Mental Health Services in 2017.

There were several referrals to the crisis team.

She engaged with adult social care, the mental health team and Unity.

On the day she was found dead, Mr Roberts was due to visit her and do an assessment.

A toxicology report revealed Ms Kirkman had consumed "a large amount of alcohol" and a "likely excessive amount" of an anti-depressant prior to her death.

The medical cause of death was "alcohol and likely cetraline excess".

Mr Thomas said: "She suffered from alcohol problems and mental health issues. These have been a feature of her life for a number of years."

He noted there had been mentions of suicidal ideation in the past.

"Karen was presenting as mentally fragile," he said.

"It was clear her health was a concern for her and there were other vulnerabilities playing on her mind."

He added: "It's less clear if she intended to kill herself."

The inquest had heard there was a notebook found in Ms Kirkman's home with a picture of two gravestones - one for her and one for Mr Corrie.

"This may equate with suicide, this may be a visual depiction of how she felt about the relationship - together until death," said Mr Smith.

"The large amount of alcohol and cetraline was maybe an indication of intent but we have to take into account she was a heavy drinker.

"I'm unable to make a clear finding on the presence of intent."

He gave a narrative conclusion that cause of death was "alcohol and likely cetraline excess".

Mr Smith passed his condolences for the "tragic death" on to family and friends.