The father of a brilliant Cambridge University graduate who died from a rare disease used her inquest to blame her family for not pushing conventional medicine, a coroner's court heard this week.
Georgia-Rose Segal, 27, a first-class languages graduate from Trinity Hall, Cambridge, passed away in December 2021 from Lemierre's syndrome, a rare and often fatal complication of tonsillitis.
Her father, Steven Segal, a prominent anti-vaccination campaigner, told the hearing he believed his daughter's death was the result of her mother and step-father's failure to seek urgent medical treatment. He claimed they instead favoured "natural remedies."
A Life of Promise Cut Short
Georgia-Rose, described as an "extraordinarily gifted" linguist, had been unwell for several weeks before her death. The inquest heard she had been bedridden with a severe sore throat, fever, and neck pain.
Her mother, Lucy Crandon, and step-father, Richard Crandon, told the court they had urged her to see a doctor, but as a fiercely independent adult, she had refused. Mr. Crandon stated, "She was an adult and we could not force her."
Father's Controversial Allegations
Mr. Segal, however, presented a different narrative. He alleged the family had a history of avoiding mainstream medicine, pointing to their decision not to give Georgia-Rose the HPV vaccine as a teenager.
"I believe if Georgia had been given the HPV vaccine, she would not have developed tonsillitis and would not have died," he told the coroner. This claim was met with scepticism, as Lemierre's syndrome is not linked to the HPV virus or its vaccine.
Coroner's Conclusion
After hearing the evidence, Area Coroner for Cambridgeshire, Elizabeth Gray, recorded a conclusion of death by natural causes. She found no evidence that a delay in seeking treatment contributed to the tragic outcome.
"She was a 27-year-old woman who was living independently and made her own decisions," the coroner stated, adding that there was "no evidence that any other treatment would have prevented her death."
The case has cast a spotlight on the devastating real-world impact of the anti-vaccine movement and the deep family divisions it can cause.
