A pregnant mother-of-five died after drinking industrial-strength vinegar during an attempted home abortion she had researched online.
Catherine Furey, 38, suffered a violent and eventually fatal reaction to the concentrated acid similar to that used in a chip shop.
A police investigation was launched and officers arrested her sister-in-law
Dawn Chadwick for handing her the vinegar bottle in late 2010.
She was eventually charged with manslaughter but after an 18-month investigation this was dropped this week, allowing the details of this tragic case to be revealed for the first time.
[...]
It is thought Mrs Chadwick took the bottle of vinegar out of a cupboard and passed it to Mrs Furey, who then took it into another room and drank it.
Catherine may have researched using vinegar for an abortion on the internet and after trying it was rushed to North Manchester General on December 1, 2010, where she died.
Her sister-in-law was arrested seven months later in July 2011 and charged with unlawfully supplying a poisonous or noxious substance with the intent to cause the miscarriage of a woman.
In January this year prosecutors raised the charge to manslaughter and Mrs Chadwick was facing a trial at Manchester Crown Court. But now, after reviewing the file, the CPS has dropped the case against her.
[...]
'Dawn has significant learning difficulties and should never have been charged with the initial charge of supplying a noxious substance to cause an abortion. Despite this, the CPS actually elevated the charge she faced several months later to manslaughter and it is not until now - a full 18 months after Catherine’s death - that her name has been cleared.
'Dawn is extremely relieved that her ordeal is finally over. She and the rest of the family would now like to be left alone to grieve.'
The case against her was dropped as they had little evidence apart from elements of Dawn Chadwick's police interviews.
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