Met Police trainer 'bullied' by boss, hears Inquest
Nicola Forster, 45, was found dead at her home in Biggleswade, in September 2022.
A former police officer has accused a Met boss of putting her colleague "in a coffin" by showing a lack of compassion and support, an inquest heard.
Nicola Forster, 45, a safety training officer at Hendon Police College in north London, was found dead at her home in September 2022.
Ms Forster had said to colleagues that her line manager, Inspector Hayley Webb, was "out to get her" and that she failed to act on requests for an occupational health referral over her mental health problems, Alamy previously heard.
She developed PTSD as a result of her work during the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017, and had been suffering with anxiety and depression, coroner Emma Whitting was told.
On Thursday, the inquest heard from two former colleagues who both accused Ms Webb of bullying and showing a lack of support and empathy for staff.
Retired police sergeant Tara Richards, who trained officers in Heathrow during the period Ms Webb was line manager, said she and Ms Forster would often talk via text message and were each other's "rock".
In one message, read to the inquest, Ms Forster said to Ms Richards that Ms Webb was a bully who was "gunning" for her.
Ms Richards said in her witness statement: "I feel like it was her (Inspector Webb) who put Nikki in a coffin."
Crying while giving evidence over video link, she said: "Nikki shared how she was feeling at that time about the work... the lack of support, the fact she was being targeted, felt her staff were being turned against her and she didn't see a way out."
Ms Richards went on to say that Ms Forster needed help through the "dark times", adding: "If she had the support and empathy and care that she should have from a supervisor I feel she would still be here today."
Police sergeant Paul Hoppe, Ms Forster's counterpart until April 2021, told the inquest of the "extreme pressure" of the job due to a shortage of officer safety instructors.
He said that Ms Webb had "no empathy or emotional intelligence" and made "unachievable" decisions which put pressure on staff.
Sgt Hoppe said: "I'm not talking about misconduct, I'm talking about bullying, it is my belief that there is a difference between misconduct and bullying somebody."
In early 2021, Ms Forster told Sgt Hoppe of struggling to manage a colleague's welfare while dealing with her own mental health problems, the inquest heard.
Sgt Hoppe said she was "insistent" to him that Ms Webb had told her to carry on overseeing the colleague's welfare.
The inquest also heard that both Sgt Hoppe and Ms Forster spoke to another line manager, saying there was a lack of support from Ms Webb, but he replied that she was the "best thing" to happen to officer safety training.
Sgt Hoppe said he felt the response was "out of touch".
The sergeant said that he advised Ms Forster to consider whether the role was "right" for her, as he was himself in the process of moving on to another position within the force because he "could not work" for Ms Webb.
Sgt Hoppe said he thought there was a "personality clash" with his boss, telling the inquest: "I loved the job but I had to leave for a better life."
Ms Webb has said she spoke to Ms Forster about her concerns over staff shortages and her mental health struggles.
Neither Sgt Hoppe or Ms Richards said they saw Ms Forster's in-person interactions with Ms Webb.
Ms Forster, who was born in Stockton-on-Tees, had been signed off from work approximately three months before her death, and had medication prescribed by her GP.
The night before her death, Ms Forster told her partner Dr Amy Popple that she was struggling to sleep, the inquest heard.
She was found dead in her house in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, by Ms Popple on September 28 2022.
The house was "immaculately clean and tidy", the beds were made and no suicide note was left, the coroner's officer wrote in her report.
The inquest is scheduled to conclude at a later date.