Lancashire vet who feared she was being followed bled to death in hotel bath, inquest hears

Doctors suspected at first that 30-year-old Ewelina Sasak, who worked at Moy Vets in Hambleton, may have been attacked.

But they ultimately found no signs of third party involvement or self-defence, the hearing was told.

The owner of the Staunton Hotel in Bloomsbury, central London, discovered “pale” Ms Sasak lying in a blood-red bath with “extreme” wounds.

A scalpel and broken glass were found nearby, the hearing was told.

A doctor said Ms Sasak’s wounds were so severe that they appeared to have been inflicted by “violent activity”.

But police and the pathologist independently declared there were no suspicious circumstances.

The young woman’s distraught parents flew over from their home in Poland to attend the inquest at St Pancras Coroner’s Court on Monday, October 23.

Speaking outside, they said that their daughter was happy, and had recently had a pay-rise in her “dream job”, and was buying furniture for her flat in Blackpool.

She moved to the UK in 2021 after qualifying as a vet in Poland.

Using a friend as a translator, her dad, Henryk Sasak, said: “She was working as a vet, she had had a pay rise.

“She had something to live for. She had lots of friends in Poland, she was very healthy.”

The young woman was “very close” with her friends in Poland and had a strong relationship with her family.

However, in the days leading up to her death she became convinced that “a group of ten people” were following her and intent on harming her.

The fear became so intense that she fled from Blackpool to London, even planning to fly last-minute to Poland before becoming too terrified she would be injected with poison mid-flight.

At 10pm that night Ms Sasak checked into the Staunton Hotel.

She made the reservation under one name only and paid the night porter upfront in cash, for a night in a ground floor room beside reception.

On the next morning the chambermaid couldn’t enter the door and called the receptionist, the inquest heard.

She couldn’t get in either but managed to get a distressed Ms Sasak to speak to her through the locked door.

Ms Sasak asked to stay another night.

The receptionist returned to the desk and telephoned Ms Sasak to say they were fully booked, but she could stay an extra half an hour before checking out.

The hotel owner arrived at 12.10pm – he struggled to break into the locked door but eventually found Ms Sasak lying in the bath, conscious, but covered with deep cuts.

He called the emergency services and police discovered Ms Sasak still conscious with two sharp objects beside her and blood across the hotel room.

She hadn’t slept in her bed and train tickets were strewn across it from Preston to Manchester Airport, Preston to Liverpool, and a London ‘all-zones’ travelcard, all valid for the previous day.

A bag filled with paperwork, £175 in notes and £12 coins were also recovered.

Paramedics arrived and gave her CPR in the bathroom before carrying her to the reception.

However, their attempts to resuscitate Ms Sasak were unsuccessful and she was pronounced dead at 1.07pm.

Assistant Coroner Ian Potter ruled that Ms Sasak died by suicide.

Mr Potter said “we can never know” whether her belief was grounded in reality, but that it was clear she was overcome by “fear and distress” when she checked into the Staunton Hotel.

Summarising his verdict, he said: “I’m told by Ewelina Angelika Sasak’s mother, Ilona, that she was, quote, ‘a very nice girl with a lot of friends.’

“It’s also clear to me that she had a good and close relationship with her family.

“Mrs Sasak, meaning Ilona, has given evidence about text messages and numerous conversations she had with Ewelina between the 12th and 25th April 2023.

“Those exchanges paint a picture of a fast emerging situation, which rapidly escalated to what can only be described as a state of apparent despair, which saw a situation where Ewelina believed that she was being followed on April 24, 2023 by a group of up to ten people.

“I have no doubt that Ewelina did believe that she was being followed.

“What is less clear is the source of that belief – whether it was entirely based in reality, or whether it was delusional, either in whole or in part.

“In the absence of expert medical opinion regarding Ewelina’s mental health, which it is not possible to obtain after the fact, we will never know the exact facts of that situation and her belief.

“However what is clear to me, is that at the time she checked into the Staunton hotel, Ewelina was in a state of some fear and distress.

“I have also borne in mind the nature and extent of Ewelina’s injuries, which were, quite frankly, extreme.

“I find that nobody inflicts injuries of that severity on themselves as a cry for help or expecting to live, particularly not someone of Ewelina’s educational standard.

“Bearing in mind that as a vet she was more than familiar with the basics of biology and anatomy.

“In light of these factors I reject the notion of accident, and find that on the balance of probabilities Ewelina inflicted these injuries on herself and that she did so with the intention of taking her own life."

Turning to Ms Sasak’s parents, he added: “All that remains, Ilona and Henryk, is for me to give you my sincere condolences for the loss of your daughter.

“I can’t begin to imagine the pain and suffering that it has caused for you, and I wish you a safe journey home.”