Inquest hears 'beautiful and kind' Blackburn woman found dead in Dubai apartment

An inquest has heard that a "beautiful and kind" young woman from Blackburn was found dead at her apartment in Dubai.

Rhian Wright had moved to Dubai in 2014 and initially worked as a personal assistant.

She had her own apartment where she lived with her two dogs and had been undertaking a law qualification.

But an inquest at Blackburn Town Hall has heard that on November 13th last year police were called to Rhian's apartment after a friend had been trying to contact her with no response.

When officers entered the apartment they found the 31-year-old dead, with police later concluding Rhian's death was a suicide.

At her inquest Rhian's family, including her mum and grandma, placed a framed photo of her at the front of the court before proceedings began. They said that Rhian taking her own life "was completely out of character".

Assistant Coroner Sian Jones explained to Rhian's family that she has no jurisdiction or powers to compel either evidence or witnesses from outside of the UK.

She added that while Rhian's phone had been recovered police were unable to access the messages or search history to look for any evidence to suggest why Rhian took her own life.

A report, provided by the government of Dubai, stated: "At 4pm on Monday November a report was received about a person... they were not answering their phone. [Police] went in the apartment and she was found deceased."

The inquest heard that, while in Dubai, Rhian had been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and was taking medication.

However, Rhian's family were adamant she did not have the condition, and believed the medication had played a role in Rhian taking her own life.

"I wasn't aware she was taking it," Rhian's mum Liz said. "I know of other people over there who haven't been diagnosed with ADHD and they were taking it.

"It's not licensed in the UK. It's a strong medication and I don't think she should have been taking it. She was disorganised but that was just her personality."

Liz, from Haslingden, added that while the police had investigated Rhian's death they "had been less than helpful".

They also refused to let Liz view the CCTV which showed Rhian returning to her apartment the night before she was found dead.

Rhian had been due to fly home to England just 11 days after she died. Her family said she had been looking forward to it and they had urged her to move back, however, Rhian said it would cost too much to fly her two rescue dogs over and she didn't want to leave them.

In one of the last conversations with her daughter Rhian's mum said she "told me she loved me and couldn't wait to see me".

Rhian's sister Lauren, who lived with her in Dubai for a period of time, said in a statement: "Rhian was the most beautiful young woman and she would light up any room she walked into.

"She had a fantastic sense of humour - always laughing and joking. She always looked so cool without even realising it. She always looked beautiful. She was my best friend."

The inquest heard that Rhian loved cycling and going to the gym and had been part of the Dubai Paddle Club. She had always expressed a desire to become a mum but before her death she had voiced her fears that "time was running out".

In a statement, Rhian's family described her as "a very kind and generous person who hated injustice". They had been aware she had been having financial difficulties but had refused to accept offers of help.

Between 2018 and 2021 Rhian had been married to a man called Anas Issa.

Her ex-husband, who now lives in the USA, said in a statement: "On November 12 we had a lengthy call. Upon seeing her I noticed she was feeling down.

"However, I considered it normal, as everyone has their ups and downs. Rhian apologised frequently for the past. During our marriage. Rhian mentioned the stress of having debt on her credit card and what was happening in the world."

The court heard from Rhian's friend Raed, who was the last person to see her, and who said she had not taken the ADHD medication she had been prescribed for 15 days prior to her death because she had run out of the tablets. He said that she had attempted to obtain a prescription but the doctor refused to do so without seeing her in person.

Returning a conclusion of suicide, Assistant Coroner Sian Jones said: "Rhian was not only very, very beautiful but clearly adventurous and she had a positive life with a family who loved her.

"She was a very much-loved daughter, sister and friend. She was close to her family but due to the distance between them they couldn't know what was happening in Rhian's life save for what she told them.

"I've heard she had been diagnosed in Dubai and prescribed medication for ADHD. Details of that are not known. Rhian's family do not accept she had ADHD or needed that medication and expressed concerns."

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