[Cherie]

devastated husband could not bear to leave his wife’s body after she killed herself while the couple was homeless during the pandemic.


Michael and Angela Winter, both lost their jobs when coronavirus restrictions were implemented, leaving them unable to pay their rent by March last year.

They moved in with Michael’s family but everyone argued too much and it did not work out.

So the couple left on June 1 and started living in a tent near a children’s park in the Washlands in Burton, Staffordshire.

The Winters relied on food banks to eat and eventually tried to go back to Michael’s relatives for help on June 20 – but they were not allowed back into the family home.

Angela, a former Kerry Foods worker, ‘exploded’ four days later, telling her husband she was fed up with living in a tent and walked off with two bags packed.

Michael thought his wife would return once she had calmed down, but he got worried when there was no sign of her for almost five days and eventually went looking for her, he told an inquest.

He found Angela dead in a tent she had set up in a nearby woodland on June 29. She had taken a combination of several prescription pills and killed herself.

Michael wrapped Angela’s body in the tent so children would not find her and then he tried to take his own life too.

Although Michael survived, he was too upset to leave Angela’s body and stayed with her for three days – without eating or drinking – before he went to the police station.

He was arrested on suspicion of murder but was later cleared of all charges as the story was pieced together by investigators.

A toxicology report revealed the dangerous mix of prescription drugs Angela had taken, as well as widespread pneumonia in her lungs.

It was not clear whether Angela had taken any other drugs as her body was not tested for them.

South Staffordshire assistant coroner Daniel Howe recorded a conclusion of suicide.

At the time of her death, Angela’s family said: ‘Angela was a lovely sister who will be sadly missed by all of her family.’

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world...?ocid=msedgntp