Missing woman drowned after driving Mini 200 miles into an icy lake a year after being 'raped by a work colleague'
17 January 2023, 12:42 | Updated: 17 January 2023, 12:45
A missing 28-year-old woman drowned after driving her Mini into a frozen lake 200 miles from her home, a year after allegedly being raped by a work colleague, an inquest has heard.
The body of Hannah Warren was discovered in the icy lake on February 4, 2016 - a day after disappearing from her home in Streatham, South London.
Described as being in a "distorted" state of mind prior to the fatal incident, the inquest heard how she managed to free herself from her convertible after it plunged into the water near the Tata Steel site in Port Talbot, Wales.
The hearing was told that Ms Warren's body was discovered 100m from her vehicle, after she attempted to climb out of the lake onto rocks, before slipping back in.
It follows comments from her mother, Jane Barnes, who said her daughter's death came nearly a year to the day after it's alleged she was attacked by a work colleague.
According to Ms Warren's brother, she confided in him about the incident and was receiving ongoing counselling following the attack.
Ms Warren, who worked at an office refurbishment company, disappeared from her London home at around 6am on February 3.
The inquest heard how on the day of her disappearance, she had texted her boss announcing her imminent plans to resign from her job.
According to The Sun, her car plunged into the water from a quayside road in Port Talbot that had no safety barriers fitted.
Home Office pathologist Dr Ryk James told the hearing there were 'low' levels of cocaine and cannabis found in her system following her death.
The pathologist told the inquest he believed that Ms Warren died as a result of drowning.
He added her face and body were found to be covered in bruises and grazes - including on her neck, with an expert noting he believed these to be consistent with a seatbelt being worn as her car plunged into the water.
Prior to the inquest, Hannah's mother regularly posts updates to crowdfunding site Crowd Justice to raise awareness of her daughter's case.
On the page, her mother writes how her car was fitted with a Black Box by her insurance company and her car had been picked up by Police number plate recognition (ANPR) during her 200 mile journey which she says took 12 hours.
The page has raised over £5,000 towards costs from friends and family - funds that will be used "solely on Legal Fees."
One update from her mother read: "Hannah died 4 months before Brexit. It wasn’t even invented. We have been waiting 1,309 days so far for the Inquest.
"Please share this campaign and maybe, just maybe it will get us noticed."
In another recent update she wrote: "The Coroner has now deemed that the Inquest falls into Article 2 which basically means it is in the public interest and covers the “right to life” under EU law."
"The best news we’ve had in 6 years."
The inquest continues.
