A coroner has ruled that a woman who died after taking a fatal overdose was unlawfully killed by her abusive partner, in an extraordinary verdict believed to be only the second of its kind in English legal history. Georgia Barter, 32, died in hospital on 26 April 2020. The coroner at East London coroner's court concluded that her death was caused by years of violence and coercive control by Thomas Bignell.
The inquest heard that GPs, nurses and police officers all had opportunities to intervene in Bignell's violent campaign against Georgia, but failed to do so. The coroner said she could not be certain whether Georgia intended to take her own life; Georgia had told her mother she wanted the 'physical and mental pain to stop'.
Georgia's mother, Kay Barter, described her daughter as a loving, kind and funny woman who had dreamed of being a professional dancer and had been a talented performer in her youth. At the age of 19, Georgia was sexually assaulted, an ordeal that led to diagnoses of post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression. Soon afterwards she met Bignell, then known as Ryan Johnson, and their 11-year on-off relationship quickly became intense and controlling.
The court was told that Bignell controlled Georgia financially, forced her to move homes and quit jobs, and deprived her of basic necessities such as food, hot water and electricity. Her mother noticed injuries on her daughter on many occasions, once describing her as looking like a victim of a road traffic accident. A paramedic's notes, read to the court, said Georgia told him Bignell had kicked her and stamped on her face.
The Crown Prosecution Service has previously said there is insufficient evidence to bring charges, but Georgia's family are calling for the decision to be reconsidered following the coroner's ruling. Bignell did not attend the inquest, and when police attempted to arrest him under a warrant, they could not find him.
