Mother-of-four, 47, was strangled to death by her two Staffordshire bull terriers when their leads wrapped around her neck as they tried to help her up after a fall, inquest hears
- Deborah Mary Roberts was walking the dogs in Wrexham when she stumbled
- Tyson and Ruby were on rope leads and began pulling on them to get her up
- But Mrs Roberts was strangled and her body was found by a young girl
A mother-of-four was stranged to death by her two Staffordshire bull terriers when their leads wrapped around her neck as they tried to help her up after a fall, an inquest heard today.
Animal-lover Deborah Mary Roberts, 47, was on a morning walk with the dogs in Wrexham, north Wales, when it is believed she stumbled.
The terriers, called Tyson and Ruby, were on two rope leads – and they are believed to have begun pulling on them to try and get their owner up on her feet.
But widow Mrs Roberts – who struggled due to her Huntington’s disease – was strangled and found face down on grassland with the dogs next to her.
The inquest heard was a ‘tragic case’ in a freak accident as warehouse worker Mrs Roberts was on her regular walk in Garden Village.
Tributes were paid to mother-of-four Deborah Mary Roberts, 47 (pictured left and right), who was found lying face-down in grassland with dog leads around her neck on July 8, 2020
A young girl ran to get help and found men working in Southleigh Drive before returning to a grassy area behind the street. Despite paramedics best efforts, Deborah died at the scene
The coroner was told she usually placed the leads around her neck while the dogs were off the leash.
The inquest also heard Tyson and Ruby were ‘loving and caring pets’ and may have been trying to get Mrs Roberts up by pulling on the leads.
Her son Robert told the hearing: ‘They are beautiful dogs. If you met them now they’d just jump up and lick you. All they were doing is trying to help my mum when she fell.’
Another son Callum, said his mother had been walking with his young cousin who raised the alarm when the accident happened.
Two workmen rushed to help Ms Roberts in the tragedy on July 8.
In a statement, one of them said: ‘I noticed a young girl running towards me crying, saying ‘can you help me, someone is choking’.’
He said two dogs were pulling ‘backwards’ and the force of the dogs was causing the body to move.
His colleague said in a statement both of the choke areas which go around the dog’s necks were around Ms Roberts’s neck.
He described how the two dogs were whimpering, adding that he could see Ms Roberts was unconscious.
The inquest in Ruthin heard she had been suffering from Huntington’s disease, an inherited, degenerative condition, which had led to her mobility deteriorating.
Flowers and tributes were left near the scene of the tragic incident on July 8 this year
A touching tribute left at the scene of Deborah Robert’s death in Wrexham describes the mother-of-four as having a ‘wicked sense of humour, infectious smile and a heart of gold’
Assistant coroner, David Pojur, said she ‘may have stumbled’ but ‘we don’t know’ why she had the leads around her neck.
He recorded the conclusion of accident death after hearing cause of death as asphyxiation caused by strangulation by a lead.
Mrs Roberts – whose husband Paul died about three years ago – asked for donations to be made to the Huntington’s Disease Association in her memory.
One note left at the scene of her death, near Southleigh Drive in Wrexham, said: ‘Dear Auntie Deb, Thank you for all the happy memories we shared together at playgroup.
‘Forever in our hearts. All the children who started their journey at playgroup will cherish every minute of your wicked sense of humour, infectious smile and lots of cuddles and kisses.
‘You had a heart of gold. Gone but never forgotten.’
The fundraiser, set up in Deborah’s name, has already raised more than £1,500 for the charity.