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Young Maidstone woman who hanged herself after row 'may have intended to be rescued'

A young woman who hanged herself after a row with her boyfriend may have wanted to be rescued before her death, a coroner has ruled.

Police found the body of Jalisa Forsyth at her home in Trevor Drive, Maidstone, in the early hours of June 8, after a spell of erratic behaviour in which she seemingly tried to run over a man she thought was her partner.

Jalisa Forsyth
Jalisa Forsyth

An inquest at the Archbishop's Palace heard the 22-year-old had left a friend's birthday party early the previous evening and planned to meet up with partner Jamie Harris, who was also out with mates.

However, when she saw he hadn't arrived 20 minutes later, she sent him angry texts - a total of 297 messages over the course of the day - including one which read "you don't do this to someone you love".

She then threatened to slash his tyres as Mr Harris decided to get a taxi into Maidstone town centre for more drinks, at which point he stopped checking his phone for messages.

When Mr Harris' group noticed she was then following their cab, one decided to put up his hood and get out "as a decoy", at which point Miss Forsyth drove onto the wrong side of the road and seemed to try to run the friend over.

When she returned home she called her mother, who was in Cardiff at the time, warning she would kill herself and sent another text to Mr Harris, which he didn't see until the following morning.

Jalisa Forsyth
Jalisa Forsyth

Police were quickly called and she was pronounced dead just after 1am.

The inquest was told Miss Forsyth had anger issues, and that a "red mist" would sometimes descend on her, which culminated in her being arrested following a domestic abuse claim from a previous partner - though no charges were brought.

Det Sgt Suzanne Basford said the local government officer would make threats to kill herself "if there was a knock in her life", but had not been known to actually attempt to end her life before.

She also had no history of mental health issues, the court heard.

Coroner Sonia Hayes ruled out suicide and recorded a narrative verdict, that she decided to hang herself impulsively and "may have intended to be rescued".

Archbishop's Palace in Maidstone
Archbishop's Palace in Maidstone

She added: "Being young, one doesn't always think things through.

"Even on the balance of probabilities, in this case, while one can never get into the mindset of anyone unless they leave us a note, I am not certain that Jalisa intended the consequences of her actions.

"It may be she was expecting someone to come and find her. It's most unfortunate she didn't seek assistance for her anger issues."

Miss Forsyth had earlier been described as a huge fan of American singer Meghan Trainor, who paid tribute to her in the summer after hearing of her death.

The singer wrote on Facebook: "I am so devastated by the news of my sweet Jalisa's passing.

Meghan Trainor and Jalisa Forsyth. Picture taken from Meghan Trainor's Facebook post
Meghan Trainor and Jalisa Forsyth. Picture taken from Meghan Trainor's Facebook post

"Jalisa was always more than just a fan, she treated me like I was one of her best friends and I felt the same about her.

"She made friends everywhere she went and brought people together from all over the world. I will never forget Jalisa.

"I love you forever and always. I'll keep you in my heart and bring you to every performance with me forever."

Miss Forsyth's family, meanwhile, have created a JustGiving fundraising page in memory of the former Maplesden Noakes student to raise funds for Poole Hospital, where she was born.

Click here to donate.

If you are struggling and need to speak to someone contact the Samaritans here or call 116 123.

Read more: All the latest news from Maidstone

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