Shakara Taylor: British beauty queen plunged to death from 8-storey building in Caribbean after fiancé postponed wedding
Shakara Taylor, 31, was left "distraught" after partner David Ravenscroft delayed their marriage plans, an inquest heard
A British beauty queen fell to her death from a building in the Caribbean after her fiancé told her he was postponing their wedding, an inquest had heard.
Shakara Taylor, 31, was left "distraught" after partner David Ravenscroft delayed their marriage plans.
Mr Ravenscroft postponed the wedding saying they should "wait and see where we are in six months time."
Mr Ravenscroft told an inquest he and Miss Taylor - a world championship dancer - had set July 6, 2013, as the date for their wedding.
But in March 2013 he said he wanted to postpone the marriage which had left her feeling upset but she later calmed down.
Just weeks later she dropped him off at a health club and gave him a hug and kiss goodbye before promising to pick him up later.
But when he later texted her he received no reply and got a taxi home.
Miss Taylor, of Blackpool, Lancashire, had plunged from the roof of eight-storey luxury Carribean Club hotel on the seafront of the Grand Cayman island where they were living.
Mr Ravenscroft told an inquest on the tropical island: "She seemed to be down in the dumps and struggling to deal with it."
He said he did not know why she was at the Carribean Club as she had no friends staying there.
Daniella Clarke, who has been Miss Taylor's best friend for 25 years, said: "At least now Shakara can rest in peace.
"She had a few demons, but she is desperately missed by everyone who knew her."
Shakara spent 15 years performing as a morris dancer with the Crusaders Morris Dancing Club, led by Daniella's mum, Julie McShane, and was runner up at the World Championships many years ago.
Miss Taylor also performed in a Spice Girls tribute act, the 'Naughty But Nice Girls'.
Post mortem tests on Miss Taylor's body showed she died from serious injuries to her head and body sustained in the fall in May 2013.
Queen's Coroner Eileen Nervik said no one witnessed Shakara's fall, with no evidence of anyone else present when she died.
CCTV footage from the Caribbean Club showed Shakara arriving at 12.16pm, before getting a lift to the seventh floor.
Footage shortly later showed Miss Taylor's body on the ground outside the building.
A laptop and iPad belonging to Shakara showed no suicide note, although medical records confirmed the young woman had a history of mental illness including a period of residential psychiatric care.
A jury delivered an open verdict on the inquest after hearing she had records of clinical depression, OCD, an eating disorder and alcohol and drug abuse.
The inquest heard how heartbroken Mr Ravenscroft only found out after her death that his fiance - a former gala queen - was bipolar and had twice attempted suicide before.
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