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Young mother's 'one-off' decision to snort coke turns fatal as she dies from sudden heart attack

The embattled parents of Holly Dakin attended a Nottingham inquest, saying 'all of us didn't have a clue'

NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND: The devastated parents of a young mother were shocked to learn that their "bubbly and popular" daughter had consumed cocaine before she died in her sleep.

Holly Dakin, 29, passed away earlier this year following a sudden heart attack. An inquest into her death heard investigators say it was possibly caused due to cardiac-related disease. However, the disturbing update came as a shock to Holly's parents Robert and Rosemary Dakin, who spoke out after a coroner's report stated their daughter's death was "drug-related." 

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The embattled parents attended the Nottingham inquest with their daughter's boyfriend and close pals, telling Nottinghamshire Live that "all of us didn't have a clue." Robert said his daughter was "bubbly and everyone's fun friend," adding, "She was popular. She was living in Wilford with her four children." Holly's boyfriend Aaron White, 41, was living with her and the children at the time of her demise. He described her as "amazing, caring, kind, an amazing mum and girlfriend." He continued, "We were happy as a family. We went to Egypt on holiday and came back for four weeks and were then going to Turkey. We had a good relationship. She didn't take drugs. She went to the wrong place that night. The drug-taking that night was a one-off thing. We had planned for her 30th."

The inquest was ordered owing to an unnatural aspect of Holly's death after cocaine was found in her system and the potential impact it had on her heart. Toxicology tests showed that the 29-year-old victim had less than twice the legal limit of alcohol in her system to drive a car, along with cocaine and a product often used to dilute cocaine. However, the amount of cocaine ingested was not considered to be toxic. Tests showed the "balance of probabilities" that led to the "sudden cardiac event" was an irregular heartbeat. The inquest heard how the left side of her heart failed due to a blood clot in the main artery that feeds blood to the heart.

Coroner Laurinda Bower told the family that Holly's death would have been sudden and "she would not have known anything about this process." She insisted, "I can say Holly would not have known anything about it whatsoever; this would all have happened in her sleep." The victim had previously visited a hospital emergency department with chest pains but self-discharged. Speaking generally, the coroner cited reports indicating cardiovascular disease is relatively common in young cocaine users, adding that the effects of cocaine are exacerbated by alcohol consumption.

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The young mother-of-four had recently graduated from Nottingham Trent University and spent most of the day before her demise with a friend. They reportedly drank, ate, planned for a holiday, and even visited a tanning salon. Holly then stayed at the home of her youngest child's father after visiting his address later. The next morning at around 8 am, the dad of the smallest child tried to wake Holly but found she wasn't breathing and immediately called an ambulance.

Chris McGrath, a close pal of Holly's, told the inquest that he spoke with her just hours prior to the tragedy and that she sounded jovial and happy. Meanwhile, Detective Constable Ben Grayson, of Radford Road CID and the officer in the case, told the hearing, "From our point of view, in terms of the police investigation, it does not seem to suggest that Holly did not take what she took of her own free will. Therefore, it does hinder a police investigation in that respect." Coroner Bower noted that there was evidence of alcohol and cocaine in the victim's system and that it did not appear to be her first time taking the drug.