Double suicide victim complained of harassment to police

One of the women who died in a suspected copycat double suicide contacted London police to complain she was being harassed. The woman, who has not been named, took refuge in a Putney flat owned by a trust that helps vulnerable women. She and another woman were found dead there last week, apparently from chemical poisoning. The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) launched an investigation last night into the reaction of police to her complaints. It is understood they received a referral from Metropolitan police detectives after they found records on a database of her contacting the force. The bodies of the women, believed to be in their 20s, were found at the second-storey flat on Thursday morning. Neighbours said one of the women moved in about five months ago from Roehampton to "escape someone" and because people were taking drugs near her home. Retired typist Catherine McGrath, whose flat overlooks the property, said the woman was quiet and private. " She always seemed very scared and had her windows shut and curtains closed," McGrath said. "She had moved from Roehampton so I thought I should try and talk to her, but she was always very scared, almost frightened of something." The block is owned by Women's Pioneer Housing, an organisation that provides affordable one-bedroom and bedsit properties for single women. The chief executive, Janet Davies, said the deaths were "completely unprecedented" and staff were keen to reassure other tenants. Catherine Johnstone, of Samaritans, said: "Suicide is a rare and extreme act, undertaken by vulnerable people in acute crisis. "Offering people appropriate emotional support can help people come through a suicidal crisis and make the difference between them choosing to live and deciding to die." An IPCC spokesman said: "We are currently awaiting further information from the Metropolitan police and hope to be able to release further information in due course."