THE family of a grandmother who was found drowned in a ditch have spoken for the first time about her death.


Janis Downey, 62, was discovered in a drainage trench near her front drive in Daws Hill, Sewardstone, on the morning of March 10.

Police initially arrested her partner, James Copp, 74, who lived with her, on suspicion of murder, but he was released without charge in June.


At an inquest into her death today (Tuesday), coroner Caroline Beasley-Murray recorded an open verdict, adding: “There’s not enough evidence for any other verdict.


“It’s not possible to say how she got into the ditch.”

She heard that the couple had been drinking in the Duke of Wellington pub in High Beach the night before Mrs Downey’s body was found.


Detective Chief Inspector Mark Hill said: “At the time she left the pub, she was drunk.

“There is CCTV footage of her falling from a bar stool in the Duke of Wellington and she required assistance getting into a cab.”


He added that charges had never been brought against Mr Copp because there had been no evidence of foul play, but there were signs that Mrs Downey was unsteady on her feet and may have fallen.

“There were no definite marks of a defensive, offensive or restraining type (on her body),” he said.


“Mrs Downey walked with a stick and had some difficulty with her mobility having previously had a hip replacement, so those are factors that may have influenced her stability.”

Her daughter, Zoe Briggs, was at the inquest and a statement issued by the family said they hoped it would bring them some closure.


“Jan was a loving daughter, sister, mother and grandmother who will be sadly missed by many people,” they added.


“She lived for her grandchildren, with all her friends finding her a bubbly character and fun to be with. She was extremely close to her mother.


“She liked a drink here and there, making her a very happy-go-lucky woman.


“This inquest will hopefully provide us with closure and we can start to move on with our lives, but doing so while still remembering Jan, who was dear to our hearts.”

They added that Mrs Downey, who was born in Islington and worked as a cab controller before retiring, was a passionate Arsenal fan and one of her happiest recent memories had been the side’s victory against Tottenham Hotspur at the end of last season.

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