Charlotte Cobbald, 17, died after injecting herself with an animal drug at Acton

Charlotte Cobbald at the Suffolk Show with one of her winning Texel sheep. Picture by Anthony Mosley. (Image: Archant)

Today, an inquest was held into the death of Charlotte Cobbald, a student at Ipswich High School for Girls, who passed away on August 4 last year at Acton, near Sudbury.

The inquest heard she had taken the medicine from a fridge in the farm office.

She told her father, Stephen Cobbald, she had injected herself before running away.

Assistant coroner Yvonne Blake made a narrative conclusion, saying: “Charlotte battled with mental health illness including anorexia and was hospitalised and began to improve so she was eventually allowed to have leave on her father’s farm.

Charlotte Cobbald (Image: Archant)

“Once there she injected herself with an animal drug known to be fatal to humans. Tragically, she died despite extensive and long resuscitation by a large number of paramedics, doctors and nurses.”

Charlotte had been admitted to the Priory in Chelmsford in January last year and she was transferred to the high dependency unit, the St Aubyn Centre in Colchester, in the February.

The inquest heard Charlotte had improved while at the St Aubyn Centre and she was allowed to go on leave from the unit.

Charlotte’s mother Hilde Cobbald, said in a statement which was read out at the inquest: “Our 17-year-old daughter was beautiful, bright and lovely, inside and out.

“Before she became unwell, she had an inner zest for life and excitedly made dreams and plans for her future.”

Charlotte, from Great Finborough, achieved 11A*s for her GCSEs and was passionate about farming.

She bred prize-winning Texel sheep and had a small flock, and also had a talent for sheep dog trialling.