Pensioner who had 'good life' died of head injuries

Sheila Nicholson (83) of Rose Green, Bognor, had been watching tennis on television before getting up to take her dog for a walk.

Her son Ian heard a '˜bang' and found her at the bottom of the stairs, unconscious. She died from serious head injuries on July 28 this year.

Her daughter Daphne Arnold said at an inquest at Chichester County Court that she had taken her mum to hospital over a period of 18 months because her eyesight was '˜getting worse'. Despite her failing eyesight she was a keen darts player and used to play with a team. She worked at a post office in Rose Green and retired from her job when she was 80.

West Sussex coroner David Skipp concluded that Mrs Nicholson's death was an accidental one.

He said: 'Without doubt this is a sad death. It sounds like she had a good life.'