A WOMAN who was trying to better herself for her children fell into a river and drowned as she suffered from alcohol withdrawal symptoms, an inquest has heard.

Paula Phippen’s death was described as a “sad incident” by a detective, after she was found in the River Anton near Bridge Street on May 26 this year.

A police investigation initially treated her death as suspicious and arrested a friend of the 50-year-old over the Bank Holiday weekend, however at the inquest at Winchester Coroner’s Court on October 11, Detective Sergeant Steven Norridge confirmed police believed there was no criminal activity surrounding Ms Phippen’s death.

DS Norridge said: “At the start of the investigation we had to establish what potentially caused her to go into the water.

“It was treated as a homicide initially.

“[Her friend] was arrested and interviewed. We didn’t have the CCTV [at that time]. If we had that things may have been different for them.

“No criminal proceedings have resulted from this death. I think it is a sad incident rather than criminal activity.”

Prior to the mother-of-three’s death, the inquest heard how on May 25, a friend called an ambulance for Ms Phippen as she was suffering hallucinations and talking to people that were not there.

The resident of sheltered accommodation, Bridge House, was taken to see Doctor Ruth Verrier-Jones at Andover Health Centre where she disclosed her history of alcoholism, dating back to 2013, and how she was trying to cut down.

Ms Phippen said she had gone from drinking four bottles of wine a day to drinking cider.

Dr Verrier-Jones said: “She talked about her children and how she wanted to sort out her situation.

“She said she had recently changed to cider and it was hard to manage withdrawal symptoms.

“Paula had been suffering hallucinations as an effect of reduction too quickly.”

The doctor recalled Ms Phippen telling her: “I had some cider and they have gone away.

“I think I might be trying to cut down too quickly.”

Alcohol and drug abuse support organisation Inclusion was called by the doctor who knew Ms Phippen, and it was advised to drink through the symptoms and that she needed to engage with the service before she tried to cut down properly.

It was also noted no support would be available over the Bank Holiday weekend to help the former restaurant manager through the process.

Later into the night CCTV captured Ms Phippen in Bridge House looking disorientated as she was locked out of her flat, and last footage of her was seen at 3.33am, when she was leaving through the accommodation’s fire exit, falling over a few times until disappearing from view.

It is not known when Ms Phippen is believed to have fallen in the river between this time and 6.20am, when she was found by a postman walking to work at the Bridge Street Post Office.

The toxicology report found no alcohol or drugs of abuse in her system at her time of death, and Home Office pathologist Amanda Jeffery said the primary cause of death was drowning.

Dr Jeffery said: “She wasn’t very well in the lead up to this incident, she’s stumbling it looks like she’s drunk. She clearly isn’t, she hasn’t got any alcohol in her system.

“If someone quickly withdraws [from alcohol] it is an extremely dangerous situation to be in. Symptoms we can see in alcohol withdrawal can be hallucinations, gut upset.

“Given the history it’s most likely this picture of alcohol withdrawal is what resulted in her ending up in the water and not being able to save herself.”

Coroner Graham Short ruled Ms Phippen’s death as an accident.

Former husband Martin Phippen said: “We now have peace of mind knowing she was trying to better herself for her children that she loved very much.

“It’s sad she just went about it the wrong way.

“The children are getting through it and I would like our family’s privacy to be respected at this time.”