A NURSE has died almost two years after slipping into a coma after taking an unknown quantity of tablets.

Kendra Jarrett, 32, was admitted to Darlington Memorial Hospital on March 13, 2001, after her father and sister found her lying unconscious on her bed.

She remained at the hospital, apart from a brief spell in a Newcastle hospital, in what doctors described as a "vegetative state" until her death on March 6.

Her father, Kenneth, told an inquest in Darlington yesterday that his daughter had been suffering from severe neck pain and was feeling ill in the days before she fell into the coma.

He and his elder daughter found her at her home in Bellburn Lane, Darlington, with some tablets scattered around her on the bed. Her breathing was very irregular.

Just days before they found her, Miss Jarrett had got engaged to her partner. But the couple had a disagreement about the wedding date, said Mr Jarrett, of Windemere Court.

"She wanted the marriage sooner than later," he said.

Tests revealed a normal amount of prescription drugs in Miss Jarrett's system.

But the damage to her brain meant there was little chance of her regaining consciousness.

South Durham Coroner Colin Penna, recording an open verdict, said there was no evidence to suggest that Miss Jarrett had tried to end her life.

"Unfortunately the evidence is very sparse," he said.

A funeral service will be held on Wednesday, at 2pm, at St John's Church, Neasham Road, Darlington.