Woman hit by lorry took her own life after 'bedroom tax' left her with anxiety and stress

Stephanie Bottrill, 52, walked across a West Midlands motorway and climbed a safety barrier early on the morning of May 4 last year and died as a result of multiple injuries suffered in the collision.

The area coroner for Birmingham and Solihull, Zafar Siddique, said: "Given the evidence of notes left of her intention, I am satisfied she intended to take her own life."

The case of Ms Bottrill, of Meriden Drive, Kingshurst in Solihull, made national newspaper headlines after son Steven Bottrill claimed that she had blamed the Government's housing policy for death in a suicide note.

The government removed what it called a 'spare room subsidy' from working age council and social housing tenants if they had one or more spare bedrooms. The cut amounted to 14 or 25 per cent of their housing benefit, leaving them to pick up the cost.

The former postal worker, who lived alone in a terrace home, had agreed to go and see her GP the day before her death after her concerned daughter-in-law telephoned to make the appointment.

Mr Siddique, summing up the evidence of Dr Bindu Nair, said that when Ms Bottrill attended - accompanied by her daughter Laura Bottrill - she had been 'clear-headed' and given a frank account of a history of anxiety.

Dr Nair added: "She expressed unhappiness at being pushed by the housing department to make a decision in half an hour, in reference to being made to move into a smaller property."

He added that Ms Bottrill was 'happy to move but it was the way in which she was forced to make a decision' which had caused her 'considerable anxiety and stress.'

Medical notes revealed Ms Bottrill had been seeing both a neurologist and her GP since 1993 with 'stress and depression from her life circumstances', her doctor said.

The GP concluded she was 'not clinically depressed' and 'had shown insight into her problems'.

A police investigation into the collision concluded there was nothing the lorry driver could have done to avoid Ms Bottrill as she stepped into the path of truck on the M6 southbound, between junction 4a and 4, just before 6.15am.

After the inquest, her brother, Kevin Owens told reporters Ms Bottrill 'wasn't prepared to give somebody else a chance' of a larger home.

"For social housing to work, it's a system where people need to take their turn and when their turn is over they need to pass those houses on.

"Much has been written about 'bedroom tax' pushing her - it wasn't, because prior to that she'd attempted suicide before. It might have been the catalyst to push her but was it just an excuse she was looking for? - That's all I've got to say."

He added: "Our thoughts go out to the lorry driver whose life has been blighted by this, and we just wanted to pass on our thoughts to him."