A grieving woman has spoken of her anguish that the body of her mother has lain in Kingston hospital’s morgue for more than 18 months because an inquest into her death has not been held.

Elizabeth Owens died on Easter Monday, April 21, 2014, aged 68 and a post-mortem examination found she had died of a heart attack with diabetes as a contributing factor.

Her daughter, Collette Owens, 44, of Down Road in Teddington, said her mother had suffered for years with excruciating abdominal pain caused by adhesions in the womb that were not recognised until it was too late.

She believes the adhesions contributed to her death and, along with her father Jeffrey, is fighting for the inquest she said she was promised in 2014, as well as a full investigation into the conduct of west London Coroner’s Court.

Because the coroner’s court will not open an inquest and Ms Owens will not accept the proposed cause of death there has been no funeral and Elizabeth Owen's body has been kept in the morgue since April 2014.

Richmond and Twickenham Times:

Ms Owens said her mother would haemorrhage blood due to the adhesions and she will never forget her screams of agony.

She said: "When she was discharged from West Middlesex Hospital I took her home and I will never forget the screams in the car.

"I had to stop five times because she couldn’t sit down. I was shaking.

"She was in agony."

Ms Owens said her mother never suffered with heart problems and she is certain the pain she suffered from the adhesions contributed to her death.

She said the fact that her mother was careful with her insulin intake and managing her diabetes has made her more certain.

In a letter dated August 18, 2014, from senior coroner for west London Chinyere Inyama to former MP for Twickenham Vince Cable, who wrote to the coroners court on Ms Owens' behalf, Mr Inyama said a coroner will open an investigation if the cause of death is believed to be unnatural or unknown, of violent cause or associated with the deceased being in custody.

He said: "None of those situations arise in this case, therefore there will not be an inquest into the death of Mrs Owens."

West London Coroners court has come under fire in recent months due to a backlog of cases and six councils have written to the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office (JCIO) calling for action to be taken against Mr Inyama.

Ms Owens has also written to the JCIO about the court's conduct.

Richmond and Twickenham Times:

She said: "My mum said to me that if anything happens to me find out what this thing is in here [her stomach] and dont let them get away with it [the neglect she suffered].

"I promised her I would never give up fighting. She was such a lovely kind woman and she deserves better than this."

She added: "I know I’m not medically qualified but you don’t need to be to see how much she suffered.

"I just feel like I have been strung along."