A VULNERABLE woman was subjected to a degrading attack as she lay dying on her doorstep, it has been alleged.

It is said that Christine Lakinski, 50, of Jobson Street, Hartlepool, was the victim of the humiliating assault after she collapsed outside her home on July 26.

It is said a bucket of water was thrown over her and shaving foam was sprayed on her face and body. She was then allegedly urinated on, before planks of laminate flooring she had been carrying were laid over her.

Her body was later discovered by passers-by, who raised the alarm, but she died at the scene.

A post-mortem examination revealed she had been suffering from the digestive condition chronic pancreatitis. An inquest ruled she died from natural causes. Her brother, Mark Lakinski, told The Northern Echo yesterday: "Christine was one of life's victims.

"She was vulnerable, and it is a shame that just when she needed help, somebody could do this to her.

"Everybody deserves to die with dignity and respect, and Christine was not given that chance - that is what we as a family find so upsetting.

"We are stunned and still struggling to come to terms with what happened.

"We do not know what to think, because we have never come across anything like this in our lives. We just cannot believe what has gone on."

Miss Lakinski had a physical disability and the mental age of a teenager.

Although she was vulnerable, she managed to cope on her own and was well known by neighbours.

On the night she died, she was on her way home from a friend's house after a shopping trip in town.

Mr Lakinski said: "Christine was born with a disability and was teased and ridiculed all through her life.

"She was constantly having to change her address because she was always being picked on, but she had really settled in Hartlepool and had made some good friends.

"We just want the court to do its bit now."

A 27-year-old man is due to appear before Hartlepool magistrates today charged with outraging public decency.