‘Pushy’ millionaire dentist who ‘physically and emotionally abused her family’ hanged herself after violent row with her husband
Before she died her family discussed worries about her increasingly erratic behaviour
A DENTIST who spent years "physically and emotionally" abusing her family hanged herself after a row with her husband, an inquest heard today.
Helen Nicoll was found dead last year after developing severe anxiety and becoming convinced that her husband, Stephen, was having an affair.
Cambridgeshire Coroners' Court heard the 53-year-old pushed her children to excel, specifically in music, and had been subject to a police investigation over assaulting her eldest daughter Georgia, 22, several years ago.
The pair had made up and were reported to be close at the time of Mrs Nicoll's death last year.
She had had similar difficulties with her middle daughter Victoria, a talented cellist, after a violent row in November 2014.
According to Mr Nicoll, the pair did not speak as Mrs Nicoll would not apologise and would not cook for her daughter or speak to her.
The court heard she would verbally assault her family, with her children calling her "council estate scum" and "Liverpool scum", and confided in her sister that she hated how her husband did not defend her during this.
But the one main thing that Mr Nicol is convinced "led her to taking her life" was a complaint made against her by a patient, who tried to sue her in February 2015.
He said after this complaint was lodged his wife did not sleep properly and expressed suicidal thoughts almost immediately.
She began seeing a psychologist and was prescribed antidepressants diazepam and citalopram, which he claimed didn't help her, and started seeing a psychologist.
Her drinking also increased over this period and she would consume around three glasses of wine a night.
Mr Nicoll said: "It is the single thing that caused her to go into depression, caused her to start drinking heavily and that is what led to her taking her life.
"If that complaint hadn't been made we would not be sitting her today."
Mrs Nicoll hung herself in the hall of her £1.5million house in the Cambridgeshire village of Great Wilbraham, on June 4, 2015.
Mr Nicoll said he left work and arrived home around 8pm on that day, after stopping for a burger and to buy two bottles of wine which his wife had requested.
Following this he went to meet Georgia who was travelling down from Durham, and gave her the keys to the family's flat in London.
During the 20 minute meeting the pair discussed their "worries" about Mrs Nicoll's increasingly erratic behaviour.
He arrived home at 11.30pm and saw his wife had drunk "all but an inch" of the wine.
He said: "She walked up to me and said 'you have been talking about me to Georgia' and slapped me across the face.
"She continued slapping me across the face, sometimes she pretended to slap me and as I tried to duck she was laughing.
"I was playing golf the next day and my golf clubs were by the door. She threw them over the fence. She took my car keys so I couldn't play golf."
Mr Nicoll said this continued for up to 30 minutes. When asked if he responded to this violence Mr Nicoll said: "The only thing I did do was restrain her.
"At most I would hold her wrists to stop her hitting me."
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Although he eventually went to bed, he said his wife continued to attack him.
He said: "I had my phone (because he needed it to arrange golf the next day). She said 'give me your phone at once'.
"She started thumping me and was kicking me in the face. She was using her elbow and smashing me in the side of the head."
During the assault Mr Nicoll crawled up in a ball to prevent further injury. At some point he claims Mrs Nicoll smashed her head against the bed.
He said: "There had been a history of violence towards the children and the police investigation.
"As a result of that Helen was very aware of covering her tracks and she could see that my face was marked as a result of the injury.
"That is why I feel she then banged her head on the bedside table.
"She had three or four marks on the left side of her forehead.
"She later took pictures of this and sent them to my eldest daughter and said 'this is what you father did to me'.
The court heard that in the early hours she came into the room Mr Nicoll was sleeping in and turned on the radio.
He ignored it as he thought it was an attempt to provoke him - it was the last time he saw his wife alive.
Later that morning, at about 6am, he woke and went downstairs and found Mrs Nicoll hanging in the hallway.
He called his golfing partner to cancel the days game, and then his children, only calling the emergency services at 6.27am.
He told the court: "When I first found her I rushed to cut her down. It then became apparent to me that she was clearly dead and I did not want to start resuscitation.
"She was cold when I felt her. He mouth was full of fluid. She was white and the colour was drained from her. It was obvious (she was dead), she looked terrible.
"The reason I didn't call the emergency services is because she was dead and it was disrespectful to resuscitate her."
Mr Nicoll was arrested on suspicion of the murder of his wife.
After several interviews with the police and questions over his delay in calling the emergency services, a prescription of diazepam in Mr Nicoll's name in her handbag and a bruise on her right eye.
He was released without charge and DCI Jerry Waite, who led the investigation, said he believed Mr Nicoll was a victim of domestic violence.
Assistant coroner for Cambridgeshire Simon Milburn recorded a narrative verdict.
He said: "June Helen Nicoll died as a result of a self inflicted act, that is the tying of the ligature, but the evidence of her intent why she did that remains unclear."
Dr Nathaniel Cary, the consultant forensic pathologist examined her body and said her injuries were consistent with hanging and no third party involvement.
Toxicology reports revealed that Mrs Nicoll was one and a half times the drink drive limit and had therapeutic levels of prescription medication.
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