A WOMAN found hanging in the garden of a pub in Easingwold intended to cause her own death, an inquest has heard.

Emma Louise Johnson, 26, of Commercial House, was found in the garden of The Commercial pub by a member of the public on the morning of May 31.

A note found after her death said “I am so sorry I hurt you all doing this”, Northallerton Coroner’s Court heard.

Ms Johnson, who worked at the nearby George Hotel, had been out on the night before she died. She had traces of alcohol and cocaine in her system, the court was told.

Her mother, Valerie Murray, said she could not understand why her daughter had taken her own life.

Recording a verdict of suicide, coroner Michael Oakley said: “It’s clear this has been a deliberate act. The reason it has happened is unknown. It appears to have been a spur-of-the-moment act.

From the note she left there was an indication it would be read after she was dead.”