Eunice Spry's foster daughter kills herself, inquest hears

Victoria Spry was subjected to sickening physical and mental torture for nearly 20 years by evil Eunice Spry.

Victoria Spry killed herself last year after years of worrying her childhood abuser, who was released from prison in 2014, might seek revenge for the jail sentence, Gloucestershire Coroner's Court heard on Thursday (November 11).

The abuse took place at the family home in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, and afterwards when they relocated to a farm house in Eckington, near Pershore, Worcestershire.

The 34-year-old, who published a book called Torture about her traumatic experiences at the hands of Spry, was found dead at her Cheltenham flat by her fiancee Anthony Smart on September 22 last year.

Her fiancee had spoken to her at 7.50am on the day she died. She assured him she was OK, giving no indication of what she was about to do, the inquest was told.

Recording a conclusion of suicide, the assistant Gloucestershire Coroner Roland Wooderson said: "This is indeed a tragic death.

"I have been through the evidence and I have to say it is difficult to contemplate the mental anguish from which she suffered from a very early age.

"The documentation shows she endured a history of what can only be termed as horrendous abuse at the hands of her mother and uncle."

As if the abuse had not been enough, Victoria also suffered life-changing injuries at the age of 14 in a car crash in which two of her siblings died, the coroner said.

"This is a tragic, dreadful, death," Mr Wooderson said.

"It is clear to me that as a result of the tragic circumstances and history of her life she intended to take her life that day."

Tamara Pascoe, a senior occupational therapist with the Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Trust, said in a statement: "Victoria had sadly had multiple referrals to psychiatric services since June 1997," Ms Pascoe said.

"She had a diagnosis of emotional unstable personality disorder in the context of significant childhood abuse and trauma."

The coroner said he had received a detailed 74-page report from the NHS Trust about Victoria's troubled life and the treatment and support she had received.

The report said: "She struggled to trust anyone, especially those in authority.

"She talked about hearing the voices of people in her past and described how they traumatised her. They (the voices) were often derogatory in nature. She dulled this with alcohol and drugs."

After her death, foster brother, Christopher, said Victoria wanted to be remembered for her mission to help children.

He told the BBC: "The work she was doing with the Gloucestershire Safeguarding Board and social services was because she wanted ours to be the last 'horror case' for Gloucestershire.

"I think her legacy will be the work she was doing to help the next wave of social workers to spot cases like ours earlier on."

Victoria told a Crime and Investigation documentary in 2016 her earliest memory, recalling: "She bought some shopping into the kitchen and she had got various cat foods and dog foods and soap, baked beans, what have you.

"I was a little toddler and I took the labels off it.

"She just went mad at me, she said she could no longer see what was in what can. She said you pick a can, whatever is in it you eat it.

"I was put in a high chair and tied down and it was cat food and I was retching and crying."

Spry was initially jailed for 14 years for her crimes in 2007, when she was 62, with the judge saying it was the worst case of its kind he had ever seen.

But Spry first had the sentence reduced to 12 years on appeal by the High Court and was freed on parole in 2014.

• If you are suffering with suicidal thoughts, you can contact Samaritans in confidence for free from any phone on 116 123, even a mobile without credit. Or you can email jo@samaritans.org or go to www.samaritans.org to find details of your local branch of Samaritans where you can talk to one of its volunteers face to face.