A woman k*lled herself by leaping off a bridge because she was so unhappy about her chronic facial skin condition, an inquest has heard.
Vicky Norfolk’s body was found on the banks of the Humber a year after she took her own life from the Humber Bridge, Hull, East Yorkshire.
An inquest heard that Vicky, 31, suffered from rosacea, a condition that causes redness to the skin, particularly the face, and most commonly affects women between 30 and 60.
Vicky’s mother, Anne Norfolk, said she struggled to cope with the chronic skin condition and tried to take her life twice before - but was coaxed away by police officers.related]
Mrs Norfolk said: 'She had a warm upbringing and was a very happy girl but she struggled to look past her skin condition, even though it was only visible if you looked closely.
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| Tragedy: Vicky threw herself off of the Humber Bridge over the River Humber near Hull, East Yorkshire |
'She only had the condition for four to five months but it began to rule her life and started to affect her mental health.
'As a family, we tried everything to help and it is heartbreaking we couldn’t reach out to her.'
Vicky, from Anlaby, East Yorkshire, went missing on February 23, 2011 - just one month after an off-duty police officer prevented her jumping off the bridge.
PC Mark Osborn told the inquest he saw Vicky climbing over the handrail on the bridge as he crossed the bridge on his bicycle.
PC Osborn said: 'As I approached on my bicycle, my brakes squeaked and she began to climb back over the railings.
'She said she was very sad and depressed and decided to come to the bridge to commit suicide.'
A police car took Vicky home, but she went back to the bridge on February 20.
Again, she didn’t jump and returned home.
PC Osborn was cycling back over the bridge on February 24 when he saw Vicky’s bike in almost the same place as he had seen her previously. This time, she was not there.
He said: 'I looked over the fence but there was no obvious sign of anyone.
'The bike was very distinctive so I am sure it was the same one.'
The inquest heard CCTV caught the image of a woman, believed to have been Vicky, climbing over the railings on the Humber Bridge on February 23.
However, Detective Inspector Peter Francis said the CCTV footage could not prove beyond all reasonable doubt it was Vicky who jumped from the bridge.
Officers visited Mrs Norfolk’s home the day after Vicky’s bike was found abandoned on the bridge.
Mrs Norfolk said: 'As soon as the police officers arrived at the door, I feared the worst.
