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Murdered backpacker Hannah Witheridge’s sister, 30, died 5 years later while pregnant with rare condition

2021-07-27 00:00:00.0 太阳报-英国新闻原网页

THE sister of murdered backpacker Hannah Witheridge died while pregnant with a rare condition five years after her sibling, an inquest heard today.

Laura Daniels, 30, was treated in hospital after becoming "gravely ill" in September 2019.

Laura Daniels, right, died after battling an illness Credit: Tony Witheridge

She passed away five years and one day after Hannah, 23, was killed on a beach on the popular tourist island of Koh Tao in September 2014.

Hannah, from Norfolk, was raped and bludgeoned to death while fellow Brit David Miller, 24, suffered shocking head injuries.

And an inquest heard today how sister Laura suffered years of complications following surgery in 2011 for the rare condition trigeminal neuralgia, which causes facial pain.

Robert MacFarlane, consultant neurosurgeon at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, said the operation involved making an opening in her skull to access the nerve.

He said Laura had a "variety of problems" afterwards, including spinal fluid leaking through the wound, and she needed multiple operations.

Rosamund Rhodes-Kemp, area coroner for Hampshire, Portsmouth and Southampton, said: "Laura had a relatively rare condition, particularly for someone of her age, for which the options are medication, which some people don't get on with, or surgery.

"The surgery was effective but she did experience complications."

Laura had been 'gravely ill' in hospital Credit: Witheridge family 8

She died five years after sister Hannah, left, was murdered Credit: Tony Witheridge 8

Laura had previously spoken about her sister's death Credit: Facebook

Laura started treatment at Southampton General Hospital from 2015 following her sister's death.

Mr McFarlane said she had been "concerned about the potential side-effects (of medication) were she to start a family in the future".

Aabir Chakraborty, consultant neurosurgeon at the hospital, said she was treated for hydrocephalus - a build-up of fluid in the brain.

Asked by the coroner if he was shocked by Mrs Daniels's sudden death, he said: "I will be honest, I was quite devastated. It was awful."

He said Laura was pregnant at the time, adding that he did not know what caused her death.

He told Laura's family, who attended the hearing virtually: "I just want to say sorry."

The coroner told him: "I don't think you could have done any more than you did."

A post-mortem recorded Laura's cause of death as unascertained.

Laura with her husband Lewis Credit: Facebook

Her mum, Sue Witheridge, who listened to the inquest with Laura's widower Lewis Daniels and her dad Tony, wept at one point and said: "You lose one daughter, you don't expect to lose another."

Her heartbreak comes after her other daughter Hannah was raped and bludgeoned to death on the island of Koh Tao in September 2014.

The popular holiday spot has been dubbed 'death island' after a string of tourists have died in shocking circumstances while holidaying there.

Burmese nationals Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo were convicted and sentenced to death by a Thai court in 2015.

But their death sentences were reduced to life imprisonment after being granted clemency in August last year by King Maha Vajiralongkorn.

In 2016, Laura revealed she was targeted with death threats and was sent distressing images of the crime scene.

She also spoke about a sadistic troll who targeted her grieving family with horrifically offensive posts.

Laura, who had recently got married, previously described how her family were "drop-kicked into the pits of hell itself" when Hannah was murdered.

Her parents Tony and Susan Witheridge, who have two other children, paid tribute to "beautiful" Laura after her tragic death.

They said: "Laura had been gravely ill and was being treated in hospital.