A young mother who was behind on her rent and bills gathered her three-year-old daughter in her arms and jumped in front of a train, an inquest has heard.
Leighane Melsadie Redmond, 27, had been taken to court over unpaid bills before jumping onto the tracks at Taplow station in Buckinghamshire on February 18, 2019.
She was seen wrapped in a poncho walking hand-in-hand with daughter Melsadie, who was wearing a little furry parker jacket with a winter hat and gloves, at the station one hour and 12 minutes before their deaths.
Describing CCTV footage showing the mother and daughter today, Assistant Coroner Ian Wade KC told Beaconsfield Coroner’s Court: ‘Sadly, what we can see is that she gathers Melsadie up in her arms and jumps carefully from the platform down to what is known as the forefoot and is then struck by the train.’
British Transport Police subsequently declared the deaths a suspicious incident.
Detective Sergeant Simon Rees told the inquest that a financial investigator had examined Ms Redmond’s circumstances prior to her death.
The court heard Ms Redmond had a bill from her electricity supplier of £334 outstanding, a bill from her gas supplier of £638 and she was in rent arrears of £1499.37.
Leighane Melsadie Redmond, 27, had been taken to court over unpaid bills before jumping onto the tracks at Taplow station in Buckinghamshire on February 18, 2019
DS Rees said: ‘Leighane Redmond had several debts in several forms. She was behind on her rent, etcetera.
‘On the day she had received news that some of her debt burdens had been relieved, if she had entered into a payment agreement which she did, and she was supposed to have started a new employment so her financial situation was potentially going to change.’
Mr Wade asked the officer: ‘I think your financial investigator looked at whether she had made a voluntary arrangement in terms of indebtedness through court proceedings.
‘Is it right that the outcome of that was she had an arrangement whereby she would be able to repay it down by monthly £143 contributions?’
DS Rees confirmed that such an arrangement had been agreed, before taking the hearing through the hours leading up to Ms Redmond’s death.
At 6.30am, at which time Melsadie was with her father Leroy Parris, Ms Redmond had checked her bank balance at a garage.
She later made a number of phone calls, including one to her prospective employer and another ‘fairly lengthy’ call with her landlord, Hightown Housing Association.
By 6pm, CCTV showed Ms Redmond was with Melsadie as she tried to book an Uber to Cherry Tree road in Beaconsfield and made a call to her mother, which did not go through.
Shortly afterwards, the mother and daughter were seen to enter Taplow station from Approach Road, where they remained at the station for around 20 minutes.
Describing the CCTV footage, DS Rees told the inquest: ‘Her behaviour, as a police officer watching, was not normal.
‘Her movements around the station, going from one side of the station to the other, going down to the station and back up, was an unusual pattern of behaviour.
‘Had police been observing her, they would have approached her because of her behaviour.’
The court heard Ms Redmond had a bill from her electricity supplier of £334 outstanding, a bill from her gas supplier of £638 and she was in rent arrears of £1499.37.
The coroner said Ms Redmond was mainly carrying Melsadie during the time she was at the station, but was also seen walking hand in hand with her at various stages.
Mr Wade said: ‘Melsadie is pretty well behaved. She is at ease with mum, she is very patient, she follows mum and allows herself to be picked up.’
DS Rees agreed that Melsadie was ‘behaving well’ and did not ‘appear to be demanding’ until the mother and daughter were seen leaving the station.
However, they returned just 12 minutes later at 8.17pm.
The BTP officer said that the mother and daughter again spent time walking from platform to platform before climbing the footbridge, where Melsadie was seen looking ‘distressed’ and was picked up by Ms Redmond.
The coroner said: ‘At this stage, Melsadie is becoming rather frustrated and upset with her. There is a good deal of toing and froing.’
Ms Redmond eventually came to a platform which was cordoned off to the public.
She was seen ‘pushing’ and ‘kicking’ against a gate to the platform.
Mr Wade said: ‘The next thing she appears to do, she does when no member of the public is in her immediate vicinity.
‘She in fact picks Melsadie up and literally hoists her over that locked gate and places her on the platform. This really involves picking her right up to the extent of leaning over.
‘This is a gesture or activity which appears to have shown deliberation and forethought. She took care.’
The inquest heard that a member of the public who was walking down the stairs briefly paused to look at Ms Redmond, but then moved on.
Ms Redmond then brought Melsadie back over the gate to the public area of the platform, before returning up the stairs to the bridge over the platforms.
She then returned to the non-public access platform at 9.29pm and once again lifted Melsadie over the gate, but this time also climbed over the gate herself.
Describing the footage, Mr Wade said: ‘She takes Melsadie’s hand and walks relatively slowly. It is six minutes after she places herself onto that platform that she places herself in the path of the train.’
The inquest continues.