Elsie Hendy died in cliff fall at Basset's Cove, Portreath

Elsie Hendy's body was found by police in a helicopter on Christmas Eve 2014

A struggling dementia carer fell to her death down a steep cliff "fraught with danger", an inquest has heard.

Elsie Hendy, 71, was found about 75ft (23m) down the cliff, near a rope used by surfers to reach a Cornish beach.

Truro Coroner's Court heard she drank a bottle of wine before the accident and often went missing after drinking.

She had suffered from "acute domestic stress" caring for her husband and had tried to form a suicide pact but he refused.

Mrs Hendy's body was found partially clothed on Christmas Eve 2014 at Basset's Cove near Portreath after she was reported missing the day before.

She died from very serious head and brain injuries.

The inquest heard Elsie Hendy often relied on alcohol to cope with "hypertension" caused by caring for her husband

Giving evidence, Det Con Adam Partridge from Devon and Cornwall Police said: "I do not believe Mrs Hendy has jumped based on her injuries and the fact that there was no suicide note.

"It would be easy for her to lose her balance on a slippery surface."

During the evidence it emerged Mrs Hendy had gone missing 10 to 15 times after drinking alcohol, and had been found asleep on clifftops in the past.

She had also tried to take her own life and had been detained three times by police under the Mental Health Act.

Assistant Coroner for Cornwall Andrew Cox said despite Mrs Hendy's mental health history, there was "no evidence of prior intent" in this case.

He said he noted that caring for her husband had "got too much for her" but added: "It is right to recognise that she was reluctant to allow professionals to support her".

After the inquest, Det Con Adam Partridge from Devon and Cornwall Police said: "This was a sad and tragic accident; one which highlights some of the dangers of living in a county almost entirely surrounded by natural unprotected coast paths."