PTSD officer 'didn't see a way out' - inquest

The inquest in Bedfordshire heard the Met police officer felt "targeted" and unsupported by her line manager

A police sergeant who developed post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after attending the Grenfell Tower fire "felt targeted" by her boss and "didn't see a way out" in the months before she died, an inquest has heard.

Sgt Nicola Forster, 45, a safety training officer at Hendon Police College in north London, was found dead at her home in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, in September 2022.

Bedfordshire Coroners' Court heard how Ms Forster believed her line manager, Metropolitan Police Insp Hayley Webb, was "out to get her" and had failed to act on requests for an occupational health referral over her mental health.

Two former colleagues both accused Ms Webb of bullying and showing a lack of support and empathy for staff.

Ms Forster developed PTSD in 2017 after the Grenfell Tower fire

Ms Forster had been suffering with anxiety and depression after the 2017 Grenfell tragedy, coroner Emma Whiting was told.

Retired police sergeant Tara Richards, who trained officers in Heathrow during the period Ms Webb was line manager, said she and Ms Forster would often talk via text message and were each other's "rock".

In one message, read to the inquest, Ms Forster said to Ms Richards that Ms Webb was a bully who was "gunning" for her.

Ms Richards said in her witness statement: "I feel like it was her [Insp Webb] who put Nikki in a coffin".

"Nikki shared how she was feeling at that time about the work... the lack of support, the fact she was being targeted, felt her staff were being turned against her and she didn't see a way out."

She added: "If she had the support and empathy and care that she should have from a supervisor I feel she would still be here today."

'No empathy or emotional intelligence'

Sgt Paul Hoppe, Ms Forster's counterpart until April 2021, told the inquest of the "extreme pressure" of the job due to a shortage of officer safety instructors.

He said that Ms Webb had "no empathy or emotional intelligence" and made "unachievable" decisions which put pressure on staff.

"I'm not talking about misconduct, I'm talking about bullying, it is my belief that there is a difference between misconduct and bullying somebody," he told the inquest.

In early 2021, Ms Forster told Sgt Hoppe of struggling to manage a colleague's welfare while dealing with her own mental health problems, the inquest heard.

Sgt Hoppe said he thought there was a "personality clash" with his boss, telling the inquest: "I loved the job but I had to leave for a better life".

Insp Webb said she had spoken to Ms Forster about her concerns over staff shortages and her mental health struggles.

Ms Forster, who was born in Stockton-on-Tees, had been signed off from work about three months before her death, and had medication prescribed by her GP.

The night before she died, Ms Forster told her partner Amy Popple that she was struggling to sleep, the inquest heard.

She was found dead in her home in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, by Dr Popple on 28 September 2022.

The house was "immaculately clean and tidy", the beds were made and no suicide note was left, the coroner's officer wrote in her report.

The inquest is scheduled to conclude at a later date.

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