The body of an author and former nurse was found at Swansea's Langland Bay in the same area where she scattered her father's ashes. An inquest held at the city's Guildhall into the death of Sarah Helen Marchbank heard how the mum-of-two was discovered by a passer-by in the water near Langland Brasserie on October 17, 2021. It prompted an emergency services operation to try and rescue her involving the police and Mumbles Lifeboat.
Mrs Marchbank was airlifted to Morriston Hospital but she was pronounced dead. The inquest heard how she had a very close relationship with her late father and had scattered his ashes in the area where she was found. A letter signalling an intention to end her life was discovered at her home at St Nicholas Close in Waunarlwydd. An examination of her mobile phone also found internet search history for the high tide times at Langland.
The 56-year-old had been brought up in Billericay in Essex before moving to Swansea where she attended Bishopston infant and junior schools then moved onto Gowerton comprehensive school. She later worked at Penllergaer special school where she "thrived" before attending college in London where she became involved in paediatric nursing and was considered to have a "real gift for working with teenagers". She had a full social life and enjoyed holidays and married when she was aged 26 in Gower before later moving to Australia with her first husband for his work where she lived an affluent lifestyle. But she became stressed and began turning to drink, becoming an alcoholic, the inquest was told.
Her marriage ended and when her children Sam and Molly moved back to the UK to study at university Mrs Marchbank decided to move back to Mumbles where she continued to struggle with drink and found after some time she could not manage financially to continue living in the area. She then moved to Waunarlwydd. Weeks before her death she had been admitted to hospital having taken an overdose but a multi-disciplinary team deemed her low risk and suitable to be released back into the community.
A post-mortem examination report prepared by Dr John Williams was read to the inquest which found that Mrs Marchbank had died as a result of drowning and combined drug toxicity. Acting senior coroner Colin Phillips returned a suicide conclusion, adding: "She had mental health issues and depression. There was no third-party involvement and she deliberately entered the water with the intention of ending her own life."
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