AN “extremely reclusive” woman died at her home and was found surrounded by dead cats after services tried to contact her multiple times, an inquest heard.

Diane Robins, 82, was discovered dead in her home in Stanmore on October 5, 2021.

Ms Robins, of Fox Lane, was found in a state of decomposition at the bottom of the stairs when a housing officer for Winchester City Council, Samantha Cherrett, attended the flat to issue an injunction allowing access to the property.

Due to the state of her body, the cause of her death could not be determined.

The inquest heard from neighbour Robert White that there were 15 dead cats found in the flat and a number still alive that were rehomed.

Mr White, also of Fox Lane, said that while he was not close to Ms Robins, he and other residents started to check on her during the Covid-19 pandemic to ensure that she was okay.

This included leaving food for her if it looked like she had not left the house, and calling in police officers for welfare checks when they we concerned about her safety.

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Mr White told area coroner Jason Pegg that the last time he had seen her was on July 8, 2021, three months before she was found when she was caught by an external camera on his house. He said: “It was the one time I did not check on her. It will haunt me for a long time.”

According to Dr Debbie White, a GP at St Paul’s Surgery, Ms Robins had not attended the surgery since 1997. Dr White, no relation to Mr White, said that concerns were raised over her welfare in January 2021. When she visited her home on January 19, Ms Robins did not open the door to her, with Dr White recalling a “strong smell” of cat urine and excrement at the property.

Dr White passed her concerns on to local agencies including adult services, Winchester City Council and the RSPCA.

The inquest heard that representatives attempted to contact Ms Robins, but she refused to speak to them, with the services deciding that she had mental capacity to make decisions.

However, there were still concerns raised about her living conditions, with different agency figures trying to reach out to Ms Robins, with attempts being ignored.

Concluding the inquest, Mr Pegg said: “Ms Robins was an elderly lady. She had lived at her property for a number of years. She was extremely reclusive.

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“The evidence I have before me is that she was independent, and there was no evidence that she did not have capacity. There is no evidence that she was unable to make decisions for herself. Her living conditions were considered insufficient by the local authority. Their attempts to reach out were ignored.

“The last time that anyone saw Ms Robins alive was in July 2021. It is not clear how she died. The only conclusion we can give is an open conclusion.”

Speaking after the inquest, Ms Robins’ neighbour, Emily Williams, told the Chronicle: “Hopefully after going through all the evidence, all the agencies she was referred to will never let it happen again.”