Paula Williamson’s death was drugs related, a coroner has ruled.
Former Coronation Street actress Paula Williamson, who was briefly married to Britain’s most notorious criminal Charles Bronson, died on July 29, 2019.
The full inquest into the actress’s death was held at Civic Centre in Stoke on January 6 and revealed that Paula had been taking drugs prior to her death, but didn’t “realise the consequence of those substances all working together would cause her to pass away”.
A toxicology reported stated that a mixture of levels of several types of medication were present in Williamson’s body at the time of her death as well as cocaine and alcohol.
The report concluded that the cumulative effect of these substances had the potential to have had a fatal effect.
Paula’s death was recorded as multiple death toxicity.
Summarising the evidence during the inquest, Coroner Emma Serrano, said she did not believe Paula had any intention to cause her own death.
Ms Serrano explained: “Paula had been taking substances. She did not realise the consequence of those substances all working together would cause her to pass away.
“In the lead up to her passing away she wasn’t expressing any suicidal thoughts and there was no behaviour to suggest she wasn’t happy.”
Appearing at the inquest via video link from custody was Williamson’s estranged husband Charles Bronson.
Paula Williamson once married notorious criminal Charles Bronson (Image: Daily Mirror)
Williamson married notorious criminal Bronson while he was serving time in prison for robbery and kidnap – earning himself the name of the “most violent prisoner in Britain” for his crimes.
During the inquest, Bronson was warned after her made comments criticising Peter Jones, who was Paula’s partner at the time of her death on July 29, 2019.
The convict said he would have hunted down the “scumbag” who gave his ex-wife drugs that killed her, the Stoke Sentinel reports.
Ms Serrano said she would not tolerate “veiled threats” or name calling during the hearing.
Jones, who was the first witness during the inquest, was the one to find Williamson dead.
Jones said Paula had gone out with him on July 28, 2019, despite feeling unwell.
He added she came home at 11.15pm and later went to bed while he slept on the sofa.
The following morning he went upstairs to their room at 6.40am and found her unresponsive.
Jones said: “I knew something was wrong. I tried to wake her. I couldn’t wake her up.”
Paula Williamson on right with comedienne Claire Jones on left
On July 29, Staffs police confirmed that she was discovered by Jones before being pronounced dead at 7am, aged just 38 years old.
A Staffs Police spokesperson said at the time: “A woman from Stoke-on-Trent who was found dead this morning (29 July) has been named as Paula Williamson, aged 38.
“A report is now being prepared for the Coroners.
Charles Bronson appeared via video link at Wednesday’s inquest (Image: PA)
“Next of kin have been informed. The family have asked for their right to privacy to allow them to grieve at this difficult time.”.
Williamson and Bronson were estranged before her death, having previously tied the knot at a small ceremony in Wakefield prison.
After less than a year Bronson wrote to Paula from prison asking for a divorce after images of her emerged of her on holiday in Tenerife.
One image showed a man with his face in her cleavage.
Speaking on ITV daytime show Loose Women about the incident, Paula said: “My friend’s passport didn’t come through so I spent the first half of the holiday alone.
“We decided we wanted a night out, he is gay so we normally go to gay bars.
“We decided to head to the strip and met up with six lads who I presumed were gay as we were in a gay bar.
“We were drinking shots, doing dares and being stupid.
“One of the guys said are your boobs real or fake and I said ‘all real’.
“One of them was dared to put his head in my boobs… how ridiculous of me that I allowed him to do that.”
She later asked for the marriage to be annulled on the grounds it was not consummated.
Paula Williamson spoke frankly about her brief marriage on Loose Women (Image: Staffordshire Sentinel)
Her death occurred shortly after it was claimed Bronson planned to marry again.
He was reported to have been keen to remarry upon leaving prison.
In late 2018 Paula checked into rehab after trying to take her own life with an overdose.
She revealed she suffered from anxiety, depression and borderline personality disorder.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
