'Beloved' police officer died after giving herself insulin overdose while 'confused'

Police officer Ashleigh Metcalf was found collapsed at her home in Nottinghamshire following an insulin injection which an inquest has ruled was administered while the officer was 'confused'

A beloved police officer died after giving herself an insulin overdose while "confused," an inquest has found.

Ashleigh Metcalf, 28, was found collapsed at her home in Rumsby Place, Ruddington, on the morning of September 10 last year. The inquest into Ashleigh's death has since found she had given herself a boost of insulin with a pen device when it was not required. This caused her blood sugar levels to drop and resulted in prolonged severe hypoglycaemia.

A coroner has since said she could not determine why she delivered the insulin. Assistant coroner Elizabeth Didcock, who led the inquest on Friday, September 27, said there was no evidence to support the officer's death being a deliberate overdose. She added: "She may have felt unwell, or was confused at this time."

Chief Constable Kate Meynell said Ms Metcalf was known for her "bubbly and infectious nature". Paying tribute, she said: "She was a beloved colleague and friend to many within the force. Her unexpected death was a profound loss not only for those who knew and loved her but also for the broader community that had lost an exceptional and respected police officer. Our thoughts and heartfelt sympathy are with Ashleigh’s family at this time."

Ms Metcalf, who had type 1 diabetes, used an Omni-pod device to provide micro-boluses of insulin and to control her blood sugar levels, NottinghamPost reported. She had been using the device since August 30 last year. Evidence to show the device was working well was confirmed by assistant coroner Didcock.

Downloads from the device show Ms Metcalf had programmed the Omni-pod to deliver a short-acting dose of insulin at 10.54pm, despite her blood glucose level being at a normal 4 mmol/L. The device downloads just half an hour later showed a "sudden and dramatic drop" in blood glucose level, which persisted overnight.

Ms Didcock added: "This is not caused by a pump or device malfunction, nor by alcohol consumption, but is likely to be caused by additional fast acting insulin given by Ashleigh using a pen device." Ashleigh was found collapsed at her home the next morning with a 2 mmol/L reading and did not respond to attempts to resuscitate her.