Devastating update in case of mum and teen who were found dead after calling ambulance that never came

Attendees to a police inquiry in Nottingham this week heard a gut-wrenching update in the case of a mother and her teenage daughter who were both found dead in their home last year.

The bodies of Alphonsine Djiako Leuga, 47, and her disabled daughter Loraine Choulla, 18, were discovered by police in the town of Radford on 21 May 2024 following concerns for their wellbeing.

Four months earlier, on 2 February, the pair had called for an ambulance that never arrived.

An inquest has continued this week in court, during which a number of unnerving details on the causes and contributions to Alphonsine and Loraine's deaths have been heard for the first time.

Already in court, spokespeople from the Nottinghamshire Coroner's Service and East Midlands Ambulance Service have released statements.

Leuga had attempted to call an ambulance in the months prior to her death (Family Handout)

The mum - who was battling sickle cell anaemia prior to her death - had contacted the emergency services four months before her body was found telling the dispatcher she needed help with Loraine.

The teenager herself had a series of severe learning difficulties, as well as Down Syndrome, and was therefore 'entirely dependent' on her mother, reports claim.

During the call, Alphonsine told the call handler that, due to her poor health she was cold and unable to move, as per The Guardian.

"Would you send an ambulance? Please come, please," the BBC report she told the dispatcher.

New information was also delivered in court yesterday (24 July) by Detective Con Jack Cook of the Nottinghamshire Police, who said it was likely Alphonsine had passed away not long after making the call for help.

The call handler failed to dispatch an ambulance (Getty Stock Image)

Cook added that it was highly likely that Loraine had therefore been 'left in the premises alone', but alive, for several weeks.

According to the BBC, police also declared in court that the teenager probably died prior to her 18th birthday in April.

The Nottingham & Nottinghamshire Coroner’s Service previously confirmed that Alphonsine had died of 'pneumonia of uncertain cause'. The cause of Loraine's death remains 'unascertained', however.

During the hearing, pathologist Dr Stuart Hamilton was asked if the child's death may have been because of dehydration or malnutrition. He responded: "There is nothing in my findings that say any of that is incorrect."

Addressing the failure to dispatch an ambulance back in February, Susan Jevons - head of patient safety at the East Midlands Ambulance Service - claimed that the telephone dispatcher in question had tried repeatedly to contact Alphonsine after the call abruptly ended.

Alphonsine had received treatment in hospital in January (Getty Stock Image)

"The ambulance didn’t go to the address because the emergency medical adviser, thinking it was an abandoned call, closed the call down," Jevons told attendees, before apologising for 'all of the errors' made by the service.

She added that the team's failure to dispatch an ambulance should 'never have happened'.

Court attendees also heard this week that Alphonsine had received treatment in hospital in January for a lower respiratory tract infection, after which she was granted a 'pragmatic discharge'.

She'd reportedly argued at the time that she needed to return home to her daughter, the BBC says, going against the hospital's wishes.

Alphonsine was urged to return to the facility the following day, and after she failed to, several attempts were made by staff to contact the family - to no avail.

The mother-daughter duo's death also after concerns from locals to the area for their wellbeing.

Speaking previously to The Guardian, cashier Jeya Bavanantharajah claimed Alphonsine had voiced her difficulties in feeding her child, and once asked him if she'd be able to buy some food on credit.

Other local, butcher and grocery shop worker Babatunde also claimed that the mother had confessed to him the December prior that she couldn't afford to heat her home.