A coroner has ruled that a woman who was subjected to a violent sexual assault in hospital was unlawfully killed. Valerie Kneale, 75, passed away at Blackpool Victoria Hospital on 16 November 2018, four days after being admitted due to a stroke at her home in Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire.

The retired clerical assistant was described as "chatty", lucid and not agitated when her family left the hospital shortly before midnight on 12 November. However, her family was urgently summoned back to the hospital following a significant deterioration in her condition.

It was initially believed that the effects of her stroke had worsened, leading to the decision to place Mrs Kneale on end-of-life care. Her family remained by her side from 13 November until her death.

However, police decided to inve

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