Bereaved mother’s life ‘just fell apart’
Young woman was killed by a speeding police car
Friday, 21st February — By Caitlin Maskell
Noreen Mutua with a photograph of her daughter Jade
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THE mother of a young woman killed by a speeding police car died after her life “fell apart” following the tragedy, her friends believe.
Noreen Mutua struggled after the death of her daughter Jade in Warwick Road, Kensington, in 2019.
An inquest this week heard how her drug use had worsened in the years that followed and had brought about her death.
A close friend, George Curley, told Extra: “When Jade died she just fell apart. One of the comments she said to me was ‘What have I got to live for?’ She was absolutely devastated. And she was so compassionate about the police officer involved, knowing they also had to live with what had happened.
“After her death she didn’t eat much, she was just lost, she didn’t know what to do. If Jade hadn’t died Noreen would still be with us.”
Jade, who was killed by a police car
Ms Mutua was a poster-woman for Starbucks coffee chain and worked for the company in South Molton Street, Mayfair.
“If you walked into any branch of Starbucks the big picture at the entrance was Noreen,” said Mr Curley.
He described her as a “complete comedian” with a “kind heart”, who had wanted to train as a chef.
Ms Mutua was born in 1976 on December 25 in Kenya. Her mother travelled to the UK for a better life.
She was found dead in her home in West Hampstead on October 7.
At St Pancras Coroner’s Court last Thursday, assistant coroner Ian Potter said: “There is evidence of some recent deterioration in her mental health which appears to be related to her bereavement and loss of her daughter some years beforehand, which has had an impact on Noreen’s lifestyle.”
He added: “But there is no evidence Noreen intended to take her own life. I am satisfied the cause of death was polydrug use based on those findings.”
In October 2023 an inquest into the death of Ms Mutua’s daughter concluded she died as a result of a road traffic accident after being hit by a police car in Warwick Road.
The police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct found that the officer driving was not at fault.
