A mum-of-three drowned in a shallow stream after falling into the water while unconscious, an inquest has heard.
Joanne Baird's body was found by two children who were playing in Hey Brook stream in Rochdale on June 3, 2021. The 42-year-old had been drinking in the area with a man named Asif Mahmood the previous day.
At an inquest at Rochdale Coroner's Court yesterday (Monday), a coroner said there were 'unanswered questions' over Ms Baird's tragic death.
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Robert Baird, Ms Baird's father, told the hearing that his daughter had struggled with drink and drug problems for several years but described her as ‘happy go lucky’ and said she had a ‘great personality and a lovely heart’.
Ms Baird - also known as Joanne Mitchell - spent several hours drinking alcohol with Mr Mahmood after meeting him for the first time on the afternoon of June 2, 2021, the hearing was told. Giving evidence, Mr Mahmood said he walked past Ms Baird while she was sitting on a sofa behind a barber shop in Halifax Road.
The inquest heard that CCTV captured the pair drinking and talking for about 15 minutes before they headed in the direction of All Saints Church, in nearby Foxholes Road.
Mr Mahmood said he and Ms Baird smoked cannabis together in the churchyard and continued drinking. They then made their way down a 'ravine' towards the stream, the inquest heard.
As they walked along a trail towards the water, Mr Mahmood said Ms Baird 'stumbled and fell'. He said he picked her up but she then fell into the stream.
Mr Mahmood told the inquest that he pulled Ms Baird from the water and placed her on her back next to the stream. He said he then went to buy more alcohol from a shop and returned minutes later to find Ms Baird in the same position.
Ms Baird told him to 'leave her alone while she sorted herself out' so he left the area and went home, he explained.
"It was just a normal day," said Mr Mahmood. "I didn't know she would end up dead. That's why I left her in the way she was."
Two children found Ms Baird's body while playing in the stream at 2pm the next day. Emergency services attended and Ms Baird was pronounced dead at the scene.
She was lying on her back in the stream but her face was out of the water when she was found, the inquest heard.
Pathologist Dr Philip Lumb gave Ms Baird’s cause of death as ‘drowning', which he said had been caused by 'alcohol and polydrug toxicity'. A post-mortem examination revealed Ms Baird had several injuries 'typical of death caused by drowning’, he added.
While a number of 'minor' bruises and grazes were found on Ms Baird's body, Dr Lumb said there was no evidence that she had been assaulted. He said it was likely she had fallen into the stream while unconscious.
Toxicology tests revealed Ms Baird had alcohol in her blood at almost two-and-a-half times the legal drink drive limit, the inquest heard. Traces of cocaine and cannabis were also present, as well as methadone at a level that could potentially have proved fatal, Dr Lumb explained.
Dr Roger Maddrell, a civil engineer specialising in rivers, said that although Ms Baird's face was not under water when she was found, it was likely the water had 'splashed' onto her face. He explained that the water level around her would have risen after she fell in.
Mr Mahmood was arrested on suspicion of murder following Ms Baird's death, the inquest heard. He gave a prepared statement to police in which he accepted having been with Ms Baird but denied hurting or causing her any injuries.
Detective Inspector David Crewe, of Greater Manchester Police, said no further action was taken against Mr Mahmood following an investigation.
Recording an open conclusion, coroner Joanne Kearsley said there were 'unanswered questions' over Ms Baird's death. While she said she could not be satisfied that her death was 'an accident', there was 'not enough evidence to say she was unlawfully killed'.
"I'm not satisfied that I have all the evidence to say exactly what happened on that day," she explained. "That's not to say she was assaulted, there's no evidence of that."
Ms Kearsley ruled that it was likely Ms Baird had been unable to get out of the water due to being unconscious as a result of the drugs and alcohol she had taken.
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