Latest news with #AlphonsineLeuga
Daily Mail
24-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Mother, 47, found dead with her disabled daughter, 18, had refused help before they were discovered lifeless at home, inquest hears
A mother who was found dead with her 18-year-old disabled daughter had refused help from a number of agencies prior to their deaths, an inquest has heard. Alphonsine Leuga, 47, and Loraine Choulla, 18, are believed to have died 'weeks to months' before their bodies were tragically discovered inside their home on Hartley Road in Radford, Nottingham, on May 21, 2024. Ms Leuga, originally from Cameroon, is believed to have died of pneumonia of an uncertain cause, while her daughter's cause of death is set to be determined during an inquest. Now, Nottingham Coroners' Court has heard how Ms Leuga refused help from members of the council who tried to access her property to assist with issues such as damp and mould for up to three years before her death. The mother-of-two had originally relocated to the UK from Italy in 2016 with daughters Elvira Choulla and Loraine, who suffered from Down Syndrome and relied on her mother for food and hydration. Elvira, who told Nottingham Coroners' Court that she had left the family home in 2022, initially said that she maintained a 'happy and healthy' relationship with her mother and would visit the pair up to four times a week. However, the relationship 'began to deteriorate' after Ms Leuga took Loraine on a two-month holiday to Africa in July 2023 without informing Elvira. The pair then began to speak 'less and less', with Elvira only seeing her mother and sister 'every few weeks'. Having last seen Ms Leuga and Loraine in November 2023, Elvira told the court: 'I got a text from her in the last week of January (2024) when she asked me for money for food and taxis. 'I transferred her some money but, after this date, I asked her in late January if she and Loraine were OK and she replied with a thumbs up, nothing further was said.' After being unable to make contact with her mother over the phone, Elvira said she tried to visit the home on multiple occasions in early 2024 - twice in February, once in March and once in April 2024. On April 18, Elvira said she attended the address in the hopes of giving her mother money for a birthday cake for Loraine, who was set to turn 19 the following day. There, she was met with an 'overgrown' front lawn alongside a house 'in darkness' with 'no signs of life'. However, she was hesitant to report the pair as missing given that her mother would often travel for months at a time to Cameroon or Italy, bringing Loraine with her. A close friend, who also visited the property, reported there being no signs of anyone in the home, but claimed to have seen the pair in the first few weeks of 2024. Kathy Sheldon, assistant director of tenancy at Nottingham City Council, said that Ms Leuga had initially engaged with council services and attended maintenance appointments. However, from January 2021, there were ongoing issues with the mother-of-two allowing access to the property 'on multiple occasions', including for reports of damp and mould, a leak and also an annual gas review. In October 2023, Ms Leuga reported the heating had not been working since March 2023. Access was not provided for repairs, however, and a further appointment was cancelled by Ms Leuga. The annual gas safety checks remained incomplete due to Ms Leuga repeatedly not giving access to her property and the gas was cut as a standard procedure in April 2023. It was left to her to call the council and request for the cap to be removed at her convenience after four failed appointments. The inquest was also told the mother was in arrears of rent, but deductions from her benefits, including Universal Credit, meant she was not at risk of eviction. East Midlands Ambulance Service were also said to have missed an opportunity to attend the family's address following a 999 call from Ms Leuga. She requested an ambulance, telling the call handler 'I need help to my daughter' and 'I'm in the bed, I feel cold and can't move' before cutting off the line, the inquest heard. Pathologist Dr Stuart Hamilton told the hearing that he could 'not rule out' that Alphonsine might have died on February 2, 2024 - the day she called 999. Prior to Ms Leuge's death, she had been in 'critically unwell' in hospital between January 26 and 28, with low iron levels that required a blood transfusion of up to three litres. She was also suffering from a respiratory tract infection. Both Ms Leuga and Loraine failed to attend 'multiple' doctors appointments from January 2024. Describing her mother as 'truly loving', Elvira said that Ms Leuga 'took great care of Loraine and was very patient and understanding'. The court heard that Loraine had several health conditions that included difficulty breathing due to her weight and epilepsy. Primarily non-verbal, the teenager was also unable to walk short distances and eat on her own, making her 'entirely dependent' on her mother for her hydrational and nutritional needs. Adding that Loraine 'was very friendly and lovely with everyone', Elvira added: 'She was able to say when she was hungry or needed to go to the toilet, but that was about it. She always had positive energy around other people and never appeared sad. 'I loved Loraine and I could tell she loved me back. Loraine and I had an amazing relationship and she was and still is my best friend. She was always there for me.' Between 2018 and 2022, Loraine attended Oak Field School a special needs school located in Bilborough. However, her mother eventually withdrew her attendance from the school due to feeling that she was being 'neglected'. In a statement, the school's headteacher explained that Ms Leuga had told the establishment that she was taking Loraine to Cameroon for two months for her grandfather's funeral. However, by October, the pair still had not returned. While she started attending school again in November 2022, the headteacher said that her attendance continued to 'dwindle', with the mother informing her teachers that 'Loraine didn't want to go to school'. Eventually, her attendance dropped to just four per cent, with Loraine attending only eight days in one year. The inquest heard that the school made a 'significant number' of attempts to engage with Ms Leuge but that she had wanted Loraine to attend Nottingham College. The inquest continues.
Daily Record
22-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Record
Mum begged for ambulance days before she and disabled daughter found dead in flat
Alphonsine Leuga, 47, and her daughter Loraine Choulla, 18, were found dead inside their home in Nottingham, on May 21, 2024. A mum who was found dead alongside her teenage daughter had pleaded for an ambulance, telling emergency call handlers she was freezing and couldn't move. However, help never came. Alphonsine Leuga, 47, and her daughter Loraine Choulla, 18, were found dead inside their council home on Hartley Road in Radford, Nottingham, on May 21, 2024. The inquest heard the pair likely died "weeks to months" before they were discovered, reports the Mirror. Alphonsine's provisional cause of death has been established as pneumonia of uncertain cause, while her daughter's cause of death remains unascertained. An inquest into their deaths started on Monday, July 21, at Nottingham Coroners' Court. The first day of the hearing was told of a missed opportunity from East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) to send an ambulance to their address. The hearing was told that the mother had been admitted to City Hospital between January 26 and 28, during which she was "critically unwell". Coroner Amanda Bewley was told that Alphonsine had low iron levels, required a three-litre blood transfusion, and was suffering from a respiratory tract infection during a hospital stay in January. But she was discharged "pragmatically" on January 28 as she was the sole carer for her daughter, who was 'entirely dependent' on her. Loraine had Down Syndrome and learning disabilities. Just a week later, on February 2, Alphonsine made a 999 call at 1.04pm, pleading for help. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. A transcript of the call was read to the court. Alphonsine said: "I need some help please. I need help to my daughter. I feel cold. I am on the bed. I feel cold and can't move. Please send an ambulance. I do not want police, I need ambulance… my daughter. Would you send an ambulance? Please, come, please." The court heard mumbling and groaning in the background, and Alphonsine was repeatedly asked what language she spoke and where she lived, despite stating her address clearly multiple times. Susan Jevons, head of patient safety at East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS), confirmed Ms Leuga gave her address clearly. But the call was cut off and although attempts were made to ring her back, no contact was made. The inquest heard EMAS should have categorised the emergency as a Category 3 call, which requires a crew to arrive within 120 minutes. However, an ambulance was never dispatched because emergency medical advisor wrongly closed the call down, assuming it had been abandoned. Ms Jevons explained. She said: "That should not have happened because we had obtained the address and a disposition from Alphonsine. "They followed the abandoned call process when they shouldn't have because they had an address and phone number [for Ms Leuga]. The abandoned call process should only be used for hoax calls. We should not have followed this process at all. "EMAS did contact Alphonsine back to get more information but the call remained unanswered and the call was marked as abandoned which should not have happened." Ms Jevons told coroner Ms Bewley that there was a missed opportunity from the emergency medical advisor to seek guidance from a senior colleague regarding how to proceed with the call after no contact could be made with Ms Leuga. Had that happened, the call would have remained active and an ambulance would likely have been dispatched. She admitted: "There was a missed opportunity for an ambulance to attend Alphonsine's address." The hearing also heard that if an ambulance had been sent, it could have "made the difference between life and death for Loraine." Since the incident, EMAS staff have been told to re-read the protocol on handling abandoned calls. The inquest was told there have been no similar incidents since February 2024. Pathologist Dr Stuart Hamilton said it could not be ruled out that Alphonsine died the very same day she made the 999 call. He said "significant post-mortem change" had hindered the findings, but an internal examination showed inflammation in the lungs, consistent with pneumonia. Dr Hamilton told the court it was "impossible" to pinpoint when either woman died, but said Alphonsine had likely been dead for weeks to months. The same was concluded for Loraine. The the Mirror. heard she was totally reliant on her mother for food and water. While she could fill a glass if prompted, she wouldn't do so unassisted. The teenager's stomach was empty at the time of the post-mortem. Her weight had plummeted from 108kg in February 2023 to 59kg in May 2024. While some of that drop could be attributed to post-mortem change, Dr Hamilton said: "There is nothing in my findings suggesting that dehydration as a cause of death would be incorrect. Dehydration causes death more rapidly than malnutrition." A cause of death was proposed by coroner Ms Bewley as 1a dehydration and 1b Down Syndrome and learning disabilities. This will be officially established at the end of the coronial proceedings, however, on Friday, July 25. The inquest continues.
