Inmate's overdose death 'may have been accident'

The inquest heard the former farm worker had a history of self-harming

A woman who murdered a man and fed his remains through a mincer may not have intended to kill herself in prison, an inquest has found.

Karen Morris, 33, from Birmingham, was serving a 15-year sentence after she and her boyfriend killed their friend Nelvaughan Brade in 2004.

She died following an overdose of painkillers at HMP Foston Hall in Derbyshire in January 2015.

An inquest at Derby Coroner's Court recorded her death as misadventure.

Shot with crossbow

Morris and her boyfriend Steve Parton were jailed in 2005 for murdering Mr Brade at the Birmingham home he shared with Mr Parton.

They had grown suspicious he was planning to steal cannabis they were growing.

Mr Brade was shot with a crossbow and hit with an axe before the couple dismembered his body and put the flesh through a mincer.

His remains were found in a landfill site in King's Lynn.

Stockpiled painkillers

Morris died from an overdose of the painkiller tramadol three months after being moved to HMP Foston Hall in October 2014.

Her mother told the inquest although Morris had a history of depression and was unhappy about the move, she did not believe she wanted to end her life.

Ashley Wilson, a GP based at the prison, said Morris seemed "positive and settled" when she saw her shortly after her arrival.

Dr Wilson said other prisoners told her the inmate was known to store tramadol to trade with others or take all at once.

She said Morris could have stored medication, got it from another prisoner or from an outside source, but she did not believe it was suicide.

Coroner Dr Robert Hunter said Morris had probably stockpiled the pills over a period of time and there had been a "breakdown of communication" when it came to checking the distribution of the medication.