Woman took photo of cows before she was 'trampled to death', inquest told

Monday, 14 October 2024 16:46

By Tim Jones, news reporter

A woman was trampled to death while walking her dog, shortly after sending her mother a photo showing cattle in a field, an inquest has heard.

Leicester Coroner's Court heard Rebekah Morris, 29, also known as Becki, was badly injured in Littlethorpe, Leicestershire, on the evening of 9 July 2022.

A jury inquest was told she sent the picture - adding the word "cowz" to the message - to her mother during a walk with her chihuahua, just before 9pm.

But her parents became worried when she stopped responding to text messages, and they began searching for her.

They were able to trace Ms Morris using the photo she had sent. The inquest also heard that, despite efforts from paramedics, she went into cardiac arrest and died at 11.21pm.

Forensic pathologist Dr Michael Biggs told the jury her wounds were "consistent with hoof marks from a trampling incident".

He said she had suffered blunt force traumatic injuries and abrasions to her upper chest and left shoulder.

"There was extensive damage to the liver, which led to severe internal bleeding. That's the main reason why Becki died," he said.

Dr Biggs also considered the number of injuries and concluded it was "not so large" to suggest the whole herd was involved. Instead, he thought it was a "relatively brief incident involving one cow".

Read more from Sky News:
Strictly star 'heartbroken' over viral footage
Thousands denied weight loss jab
King faces snub from senior Australian politicians

But he told the inquest there was "enough of a suspicion" to perform a forensic post-mortem examination to "rule out" the involvement of a person.

On that point, he said: "All injuries were consistent with a livestock trampling incident.

"The type and location of the injuries in this case, for me, were indicative of... a large, heavy creature - such as a cow."

The inquest, which is expected to last five days, continues.

Sky News