An inquest has heard how a 23-year-old woman took her own life days before she was due to stand trial for falsely accusing someone of rape.

In a suicide note read out to a coroner’s court, Eleanor de Freitas from Fulham said she feared bringing “great shame” to her family if found guilty of perverting the course of justice.

She took her life in April last year, three days before her trial was due to begin at Southwark Crown Court.

An inquest into her death is taking place at West London Coroner’s Court.

During proceedings this week, coroner Chinyere Inyama was told Ms de Freitas had bipolar disorder and dropped out of Durham University after suffering a breakdown. She was also a community patient with West London Mental Health Trust.

She had claimed to have been raped in 2012 and reported it to police in January 2013. Officers investigated and her alleged attacker was arrested and questioned but the case was dropped a little over a month later.

The Director of Public Prosecutions said this was “due to evidence which contradicted the account Ms de Freitas gave to police”.

The man who had been accused then launched a private prosecution against Miss de Freitas for perverting the course of justice, which was then taken up by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

Ms de Freitas’ family’s barrister Leslie Thomas read out the suicide note to court. It read: “I know how selfish it is but I really feel there is no way out.

“If I were to lose the case I would bring great shame to my family.

“Everything is my fault what has happened. Many other events make me make this decision.”

'Tragic death'

Earlier, the coroner has denied a request from the de Freitas family solicitor for the CPS to attend the hearing over its obligations to the deceased under the Human Rights Act.

Speaking this week, Dr Thomas argued: “There is a causal connection between the investigation and the death.

“There are a numerous reasons why we say that the case may have been caused or contributed more than marginally to the tragic death.

“We know the prosecution had an impact on the deceased from her final letters.

“There is the proximity death date of April 4 to the trial due to start on the Monday.”

He read out a report from the mental health trust following her death, which said: “For several months she has been under increased psychological stress due to the charges of perverting the course of justice due to the court appearance three days after her death.”

Dr Thomas continued: “Given these factors there is sufficient evidence to show the investigation may have been the cause of death or linked to her death.”

Ms de Freitas’ father, David, said his daughter had lost support following her arrest: “She had been receiving counselling for rape. But she was denied access to counselling from the moment she received summons [for perverting the course of justice].

“Her behaviour changed. In some instances it made her depressed. In other respects it made her bizarre.”

He said his daughter began wearing a burka to court appearances through fear of publicity, and would sometimes only leave the house after dark. She feared being sectioned again and would try to mask her feelings.

The coroner said he would decide whether to adjourn the inquest so the CPS can attend as an interested party.

The inquest continues.