A ROMSEY woman who had been suffering from undiagnosed pain was found dead in her car after gassing herself, an inquest heard.

Judy Cutbill had been seeking treatment, convinced it was being caused by an autoimmune condition, but doctors were unable to determine the cause.

Winchester Coroner's Court heard how Ms Cutbill was found in her car by two people heading out for a walk at a beauty spot near Romsey on the morning of March 7.

Martin Radford and his partner pulled up in the Stoneymarsh car park, off the A3057, where they spotted signs on Ms Cutbill's car warning of carbon monoxide and not to enter.

In a statement, Mr Radford told the inquest that he spotted the body in the back seat before calling the police, who came and smashed the windows to let out the gas.

Despite attempts to revive her, the 52-year-old from Cutforth Way, Romsey, was declared dead at the scene. The inquest heard that due to the condition the body was found in, it was thought she had been there since the early hours of the morning.

Pathologist Dr Adnan Al-Badri said a toxicology report had found carbon monoxide levels of 66 per cent in the blood, well above the toxic level of 30 per cent.

Ms Cutbill's partner Jonathan Tilt told the inquest that in the days prior to her death, she "was not her usual sparky self".

Mr Tilt, who lived in his own home, said that after being unable to contact her on the morning of her death, he went round to her home where he found a number of notes to loved ones.

Ms Cutbill's brother Simon Fielding added that she had been "very happy" before developing the pain, but that he became "concerned about her mental health" in the weeks before her death.

Recording a conclusion of suicide, senior coroner Grahame Short said: "She clearly suffered from joint pain, the cause of which had not been established prior to her death.

"Although she was not formally diagnosed, she was clearly affected mentally by her condition."