Sabrina Lyttle: Woman lay dead in restaurant toilet for almost three days, inquest told

A woman found dead in a restaurant toilet after lying undiscovered for almost three days may have gone there seeking respite from the cold, an inquest has been told.

Sabrina Lyttle, 47, was found located deceased in the disabled toilet of the Gurkha Buffet Restaurant and hotel bar in Blackpool on November 28, 2024.

An inquest into her tragic death was told staff called police on November 30, 2024 after they looked through a keyhole and saw her body laying face down.

Soon after Ms Lyttle’s death, her daughter, Jade, spoke of her heartbreak, knowing her mother was in the restaurant’s disabled toilet while people there were eating and drinking.

“The police have told us that customers were complaining that they couldn’t get into the toilet, but they assumed something had happened with the lock. They then opened up the disabled toilet and found her on the Saturday morning,” the Daily Mail reported.

“I’m angry because she could have been found sooner, they should have done the usual toilet checks. It’s heartbreaking because we know she was left in the cold, on her own.

“I know she was dead but it’s the fact she was there while people were eating and drinking.”

CCTV footage showed Ms Lyttle entering the restaurant’s bathroom at 8.30pm on November 28 and she was not seen again.

The inquest was told Ms Lyttle was a prolific drug user and was on a methadone treatment program. She had just been released from prison after serving three weeks.

A crack pipe was found on the floor next to her.

A police officer called to testify said he knew Ms Lyttle and that she had likely gone into the restaurant to seek refuge from the cold. She had no fixed address.

“My hypothesis at the time was she possibly entered the toilet to keep warm and that her death was caused by the drugs or because of a medical episode,” Detective inspector Liam Davy said.

“There was no evidence of outside involvement.”

Consultant forensic pathologist Dr Richard Shepherd told the inquest methadone may have impacted Ms Lyttle’s lung capacity, while cocaine found in her system could have caused her heart to fail.

“It is really difficult to tell because it all depends on her tolerance to these drugs,” the Daily Mail reported him as saying.

“A period in prison - even one as short as this - and the non use of a drug like cocaine can see tolerance levels decrease extremely rapidly.”

Coroner Margaret Taylor found Ms Lyttle died of mixed drugs toxicity, rather than a drug overdose.

“If we apply common sense it would seem she died shortly after going into the toilet because there is no evidence she tried to come out,” she told Ms Lyttle’s family.

“I understand your concerns but there is a very high possibility that nothing could have been done to save her even if she was found earlier.”