Skydiver purposely jumped 10,000ft to her death following break up from partner, coroner confirms

The 32-year-old did not deploy her parachute and left instructions on how to access her phone.

32-year-old Jade Damarell did not deploy her main or reserve parachutes and left instructions on how to access her phone before she crashed onto farmland just one day after her relationship ended. 

The woman fell to her death onto farmland near an airfield at Shotton Colliery, County Durham, last April.

She was born in Hong Kong and lived in Wales where she worked as a marketing manager.

Damarell loved skydiving and had completed more than 500 jumps, including six the day before she died with no issues.

An inquest at Crook Civic Centre in County Durham revealed she had left instructions on the lockscreen of her phone on how to access the handset and left notes and details of her finances in its Notes folder.

Leslie Hamilton, coroner, concluded that the death was a suicide after finding that she had intended to take her own life that morning.

In a summarised statement by her former partner, the hearing was told that 'they had ended their relationship the night before.'

Details were not revealed by the coroner, however it was said that they met through a shared love of skydiving.

Co-owner of Sky-High Skydiving, where she jumped, Bryn Chaffe, stated that he saw Ms Damarell eating toast in the cafe at the base before her jump, and how nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

A post-mortem examination revealed that she died from blunt force injuries, and toxicology tests showed no presence of alcohol or drugs.

British Skydiving investigated her fatal freefall for the coroner and found that all the equipment was in working order.

Additionally, Ms Damarell normally wore a camera on her helmet but did not when she fell, the organisation said.

It was confirmed that she had an AAD, which was designed to deploy a parachute if a certain speed or altitude was met, however it was later found Damarell had switched it off.

The inquest heard that she was aware that she had to deploy a parachute before her altitude dropped below 2,500ft.

A report by Detective Inspector Andrew Stephenson of Durham Police revealed she left a note for her family 'apologising and thanking them for their support.'

Following the inquest, Jeff Montgomery, head of safety and training at British Skydiving, commented: "We extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Jade Damarell and it is an extremely tragic incident."

Her parents observed the inquest remotely, after which her family said: "Our beloved daughter Jade was a brilliant, beautiful, brave and truly extraordinary person.

"A bright, adventurous, free spirit, she lived with immense energy, passion and love and touched countless lives with her warmth and kindness."