A jury has returned an open verdict after an inquest was unable to ascertain the cause of death of an alcoholic mother-of-three who suffered a fatal collapse at a Bradford police station.

Conflicting medical evidence about the cause of Sharon Batey’s death was presented during the five-day inquest, which concluded yesterday.

The 41-year-old, who died 20 hours after being taken into custody, had been arrested at her home, in Browning Road, Barkerend, Bradford, for being drunk in charge of a child after picking up her six-year-old son, Connor, from school on July 7, 2008. She was taken to Trafalgar House police station.

Relatives of Mrs Batey insisted she would have been alive if she had been able to have a drink. She collapsed in her cell the following morning and was pronounced dead at hospital.

Pathologist Professor Christopher Milroy, who carried out the post-mortem examination, could find no anatomical reason for her to die and gave the cause of death as acute Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome.

But an independent clinician, Stephen McCabe, maintained Mrs Batey was likely to have experienced sudden ventricular fibrillation brought on by fibrosis of her coronary artery caused by alcohol abuse.

Acting Bradford Coroner Professor Paul Marks told the jury it was pivotal for them to determine the medical cause of death. He said there were two possible verdicts – open and natural causes.

The jury concluded Mrs Batey was a known alcoholic and there were concerns about alcohol withdrawal while she was in custody, but the cause of death was unascertained. Prof Marks told the family: “This is a tragic loss, which was totally unexpected.”

The inquest had heard that Mrs Batey had told police and a doctor in custody that she had drunk two bottles of vodka between 9am and 2pm on the day of her arrest.

The jury was shown CCTV footage of her telling custody officers she was an alcoholic, would become poorly in two hours and asking for a doctor and a solicitor.

She was seen several hours later by a police surgeon who gave her diazepam, prescribed a second dose for the following morning and suggested she was given sugary drinks and blankets.

Mrs Batey’s niece, Claire, told the inquest she had called the police station six times and said she would be poorly if she failed to receive medical attention. She said her aunt had a residential detoxification appointment at Lynfield Mount Hospital.

After the verdict, the family’s solicitor, Ruth Bundey, said: “I suspect this is the end of the legal road.”

She said an investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission had some criticisms of the police, but they had no bearing on her death.

Miss Bundey said she would bring the case to the attention of the Bradford community alcohol and drugs team.

She said: “The absolute tragedy of all this is that Sharon was about to go into residential detox, and possibly that was going to be her last major bout of drinking before having tests the next day and then hopefully being admitted to Lynfield Mount.

“She told people again and again, on arrest, in custody, with her doctors and nurses and at the hospital, that she was going into detox.

“They all recorded it, but nobody thought to contact those who were in touch with her for that programme to find out what they thought about the effect on Sharon of a sudden and abrupt cessation of alcohol at that time.”