A TEENAGE girl who was struggling with epilepsy took her own life by stepping in front of a high-speed train at Twyford station, an inquest heard on Wednesday.
Jessica Ann Monks, 18, who lived in Medmenham, near Marlow, caught a train from Henley-on-Thames on Saturday, January 24 this year, to Twyford where she was described by witnesses as ‘appearing calm’ before stepping off the platform just before 12pm into the path of the oncoming train, which was travelling at around 80mph.
A post-mortem examination found that Miss Monks died from multiple injuries, consistent with being hit by a train travelling at high speed.
Coroner Peter Bedford heard extensive evidence from Miss Monks’ neurologist, Dr Arjune Sen, who had been monitoring her epilepsy and prescribed anti-convulsion drug zonisamide in January 2013, and altered the prescription from once daily to twice daily, while maintaining the same dosage, in November 2014.
Mr Sen told the inquest that any changes in personality would be apparent ‘within the first six months’ of administering a new drug, and that Miss Monks had felt that zonisamide had been helping to control her seizures.
Miss Monk’s parents Steven and Susan had become concerned that the drug had played a part in their daughter’s change of personality, as she had become ‘withdrawn’ and ‘tearful’ over the Christmas period.
After taking an overdose of pills on January 9, Miss Monks was referred to psychiatrist Dr Arabella Norman-Nott, who also suspected zonisamide could be causal to Miss Monks’ low mood, and ordered her to be gradually weaned off the drug, but Miss Monks sadly took her own life only days later.
When asked if anything could have been done differently in the days leading up to Miss Monks’ death which may have altered the outcome, Dr Norman-Nott replied: “I don’t think so, no.”
Speaking at the packed-out inquest at Reading Town Hall, Mr and Mrs Monks said they felt their daughter had been ‘bounced around’ by three different healthcare organisations, owing to the fact that she lived in South Buckinghamshire, was treated at Wexham Park Hospital in Berkshire following her overdose, and was being monitored by Oxford Health.
Since the tragedy, a clinic had been established to ensure better communication between the mental health and neurology departments within the organisations, which Mr Bedford was satisfied with.
Speaking after the proceedings, Mrs Monks said: “Jessica was very intelligent, she had done really well in her A-levels and had been accepted to university to study law. She really wanted to be a lawyer, and had recently accepted a part-time job at a solicitor’s office.
“She was a friendly girl, had lots of friends, she had everything to live for. We will just never know what was going through her mind that day.”
Mr Bedford recorded a narrative verdict, stating that Miss Monks deliberately ended her life by placing herself in front of a high speed train.
