Debt-ridden woman died after swallowing toaster parts

A woman died after cramming an entire circuit board from a toaster down her throat. Tragic Julie Reading, 37, gobbled the wiring and battery parts after she racked up thousands of pounds of debt. She was discovered at her home in Kidderminster, Worcs., by paramedics on February 25 and despite being rushed to hospital she died hours later.

A neighbour said: ”Julie had only lived in the house a short while. ”She was pleasant but I understand she was quite heavily in debt. Her manner of death sounds most unusual and painful.” An inquest into her death was opened and adjourned at Worcestershire Coroners Court yesterday.



A spokesman for the coroner said: ”Miss Reading was admitted into hospital having, it was believed, swallowed parts of an electrical circuit board. ”She declined markedly whilst in hospital and died there.” One elderly neighbour, who named herself only as Mary, said: ”She was a sweet woman but I know she had money worries.

”After she died the word around the neighbourhood was that she, for whatever reason, had tried to eat the electrical board of her toaster. One of the other neighbours overheard a PCSO say she had tried to chip off soldered metal on the circuit board with her teeth. God knows what drives someone to do that, it is bizarre behaviour in the extreme and clearly not the actions of someone in their right mind.”