Woman, 31, jumped from Humber Bridge and killed herself over fears her minor skin condition would deteriorate...

Vicky Norfolk was driven to suicide after struggling to cope with her chronic skin condition.

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A woman killed herself by leaping off a bridge because she was so unhappy about her chronic facial skin condition, an inquest has heard.

Vicky Norfolk’s body was found on the banks of the Humber a year after she took her own life from the Humber Bridge, Hull, East Yorkshire.

An inquest heard that Vicky, 31, suffered from rosacea, a condition that causes redness to the skin, particularly the face, and most commonly affects women between 30 and 60.

Vicky’s mother, Anne Norfolk, said she struggled to cope with the chronic skin condition and tried to take her life twice before - but was coaxed away by police officers.

Mrs Norfolk said: 'She had a warm upbringing and was a very happy girl but she struggled to look passed her skin condition, even though it was only visible if you looked closely.

'She only had the condition for four to five months but it began to rule her life and started to affect her mental health.

'As a family, we tried everything to help and it is heartbreaking we couldn’t reach out to her.'

Vicky, from Anlaby, East Yorkshire, went missing on February 23, 2011 - just one month after an off-duty police officer prevented her jumping off the bridge.

PC Mark Osborn told the inquest he saw Vicky climbing over the handrail on the bridge as he crossed the bridge on his bicycle.

PC Osborn said: 'As I approached on my bicycle, my brakes squeaked and she began to climb back over the railings.

'She said she was very sad and depressed and decided to come to the bridge to commit suicide.'

A police car took Vicky home, but she went back to the bridge on February 20, however she didn’t jump.

Tragedy: Vicky threw herself off of the Humber Bridge over the River Humber near Hull, East Yorkshire.

Four days later, PC Osborn was cycling back over the bridge when he saw Vicky’s bike in almost the same place as he had seen her previously. This time, she was not there.

He said: 'I looked over the fence but there was no obvious sign of anyone.

'The bike was very distinctive so I am sure it was the same one.'

The inquest heard CCTV caught the image of a woman, believed to have been Vicky, climbing over the railings on the Humber Bridge on February 23.

However, Detective Inspector Peter Francis said the CCTV footage could not prove beyond all reasonable doubt it was Vicky who jumped from the bridge.

Officers visited Mrs Norfolk’s home the day after Vicky’s bike was found abandoned on the bridge.

Mrs Norfolk said: 'As soon as the police officers arrived at the door, I feared the worst.

'I didn’t want to believe it but, with everything that had happened before, I knew this was the call I was dreading.

'I went with the officers to Vicky’s home and I found a note in the kitchen.'

Mrs Norfolk told how she had gone with her daughter to see doctors on two occasions in the months leading up to her death.

She said: 'Vicky was good at covering up the fact she was suffering from depression but, over time, she couldn’t see anything else in the mirror any more.

'We had planned for all of us going away together so we had a lot of nice things coming up and we tried everything we could to show Vicky there was nothing to worry about.

'It overtook us all. Not knowing how to get the help we knew she needed was so distressing.'

Mrs Norfolk said Vicky’s sister, Colette, tried to convince her there was nothing to worry about.

'Colette took photographs of both Vicky’s and her own nose and asked her to choose which one she thought was more attractive.

'Based on the photographs, Vicky chose her own nose, which is so saddening.

'She was in need of a confidence boost and we thought things like this would help, but she had illusions it was going to get worse.'

Mrs Norfolk is calling for barriers to be put up on the Humber Bridge.

She said: 'The bridge is far too accessible, with no suicide barriers.

'We want valuable lessons to be learned from Vicky’s death.

'We need to stop allowing this to happen over and over again.'

The inquest heard Maureen Badby found Vicky’s remains, a bra and a watch at Welton Waters on the River Humber while walking her dog.

DNA samples taken from toothbrushes in Vicky’s home matched the remains.

After hearing the statements and evidence at the hearing, coroner David Rosenberg said: 'While she might have been stable, it was clear Vicky was suffering from depression.

'My verdict is that she took her own life while the balance of her mind was disturbed.'

Mrs Norfolk said her family has struggled to come to terms with her daughter’s death.

She said: 'The whole family have been devastated. It has left a huge hole in the family.

'I don’t think I will ever come to terms with Vicky’s death.'

Culled from The Daily Mail UK.

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Simply Cheska...