Woman, 23, fell to her death from multi-storey car park hours after kissing mystery man at club as mum begs for answers
A WOMAN fell to her death from a multi-storey car park just hours after kissing a mystery man at a club – as her mum begs for answers.
Jamie Smith, 23, went to a strip joint with the unnamed man where she is believed to have mixed alcohol and Class B drug Ketamine on November 23 last year.
The mum had been at a Christmas market in Gunwharf Quays, Portsmouth, with her partner earlier on in the evening before they argued and went their separate ways.
She then made the 15-minute walk to the Guildhall area alone before meeting the male and two of his pals around 11.30pm.
CCTV shows Jamie and the man making their way to nearby strip club Wiggle – just hours before her daughter’s fourth birthday.
Cameras at the venue captured them spending time together, drinking and kissing.
Despite being together inside, Jamie was not with him during her final hour at the strip club and left on her own around 2am.
She wandered the streets alone before being captured walking “slowly” up the stairs of a multi-storey car park by a Tesco.
Briefly sitting on a tall wall, CCTV shows Jamie fall backwards and tragically to her death.
She suffered “unsurvivable” head injuries and was found around 4am before being pronounced dead in hospital.
Jamie is said to have made two phone calls to her cousin and spoke about her mental health shortly before heading to the car park, it was said.
Her phone was found down a drain by the club.
Her mum Julie Stephenson has since urged detectives to share photos of the stranger to help piece together her daughter’s final moments.
The heartbroken woman believes Jamie was spiked because she was too much of a “scaredy-cat” to take Ketamine willingly.
The mystery male was never identified as key CCTV at the club was not working, the till was not logging bank cards to help identify customers who made payments, and police could also not find him using specialist facial recognition software.
Julie said she will be going to the Police and Crime Commissioner over what she believes were failings in the investigation.
At Portsmouth Coroner’s Court, Julie said: “She’s my daughter and I know she would not have done that just on a Wednesday night.
“She went to a Christmas market, in a hoodie and trainers. She’s not going to go out and get hammered and do drugs – not when it’s her daughter’s birthday the next day.
“I’m still not and will never be happy with the way it’s been dealt with.
“In every crime you read about the person to see them was questioned. I just don’t think he’s been looked for hard enough.”
It comes after police refused to release images because it would breach his “human rights”, an inquest heard.
Detective Sergeant Matthew Egginton said police tried to use facial recognition to find the man and put out a witness appeal.
But said they could not publish his photo.
She completely miscalculated, or misjudged, due to the Ketamine and alcohol. Together, that misjudgement led to her catastrophic and tragic fall.
Coroner Nicholas Walker
DS Egginton told the inquest: “We do not know who Jamie was with in Wiggle, it’s a bit unusual.
“He’s not a suspect, we can’t release his photograph, it’s against his human rights.
“Nothing has turned up.
“We zoomed in as much as possible around the male to see if he was doing anything shady, such as spiking Jamie’s drinks. But there was nothing.”
Some 50 officers, including senior detectives, were put on the case, DS Egginton said.
He suggested Jamie may have taken the drug thinking it was another such as Cocaine.
Jamie’s sister, Jodie Quinn, said Jamie had previously taken Cocaine with a former partner, but that she would not have taken Ketamine.
Giving evidence, Jodie said: “She would be too scared. She was scared to eat out of date bread.
“She wasn’t out that night for a big night out. I thought it was strange that Jamie would go to a dancing strip club as a 23-year-old girl.”
Coroner Nicholas Walker concluded it was a “very sad and very tragic accident”, brought on by the combination of Ketamine and alcohol.
And there was “no evidence” to suggest she was spiked.
He said: “The family suggest there are suspicions and they do not accept she would not have taken it herself.
“I have heard that she was someone that had taken recreational drugs.
“As a matter of common sense, we heard from the police officer that the point of spiking is to stay with the person that was spiked.
“The person that was with her did not stay with her.”
Mr Walker ruled out suicide but said the car park was an “unusual” place for someone to be.
He added: “In my mind, the fact she was there is best understood by the fact she had Ketamine and alcohol in her body.
“In my view, she made her way to the wall, she sat on it, there was no sudden movement which preceded the fall.
“It indicates it was most likely an accident, rather than something that was intended by Jamie.
“She completely miscalculated, or misjudged, due to the Ketamine and alcohol. Together, that misjudgement led to her catastrophic and tragic fall.
“I’m not persuaded this was anything other than a very sad and very tragic accident.”
Mr Walker added it was impossible for him to say the “unknown male” did anything wrong – drawing a conclusion of accidental death.
Julie said her daughter was a “very loving, kind person that was there for a friend in need”.
“She worked hard at being a mum and would ask for help,” she added.
“She was a beautiful girl who sometimes did not see herself as the rest of the world saw her.”