The boyfriend of a Georgina Drinkwater, the mother-of-two who plunged to her death from her third floor balcony, regularly beat her after binging on booze, a coroners court has been told.

Friends of Ms Drinkwater told the inquest being held into her death that she was kicked, punched and slapped by Robert Weldon, who was present when she fell to her death in Queen’s Park in 2014.

He was arrested at the scene outside Orpheus House, Harrow Road, but the Crown Prosecution Service deemed there was insufficient evidence to charge him with any offence in relation to the death.

One of Ms Drinkwater’s friends, psychiatric nurse Lee Byers told Westminster Coroner’s Court on April 6 that Mr Weldon had a drinking problem and was abusive to his partner.

He said: “Rob was drinking excessively and when he was under the influence he would become violent.

“She had shown me bruises on her arms. When he had been drinking he would become violent and grab her. He was a binge drinker.

Georgina Drinkwater
Friends of Georgina Drinkwater say she was beaten by her boyfriend Robert Weldon

“I didn’t immediately think it was domestic violence as Georgina told me she could handle herself.”

The inquest had heard the previous day (April 5) that the couple had a “turbulent relationship” and frequent rows would centre on Mr Weldon’s employment, excessive drinking and ex-partners.

In a statement read to the inquest another friend, Lorraine Walsh, said: “He used to hit her. He would hold her down and say horrible things to her.

“He grabbed her throat, he grabbed her by the hairbun. I saw bruises on her legs, but she told me that she had walked into the table. She later confided in me he grabbed her and kicked and punched her.”

'I saw the bruises'

Friend Claire Wilson received a text from Ms Drinkwater three minutes before the fall, in which she said Mr Weldon was “on his drunk aggressive thing”. Ms Wilson also said: “He had slapped her before, and he’d grabbed her, I saw the bruises.”

Ms Drinkwater’s mother Pauline Tio had also said she had witnessed Mr Weldon be abusive to her daughter and that the 30-year-old’s behaviour started to change soon after they became a couple in 2012.

Ms Drinkwater, who was five-months pregnant with her third child, had been at the Mason’s Arms pub before her death. CCTV footage showed her returning home in the early hours of February 23 with Mr Weldon, 26.

He told police that they had rowed and his girlfriend was attempting to climb down to the second floor balcony when she slipped and fell.

Neighbour Laura Francis was woken by Mr Weldon after Ms Drinkwater fell. She told the court: “At about 2.50am my buzzer rang.

“When I looked I saw Robert and his hands were all over the place but he was not making sense. I told him to focus.

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'I kept talking to her telling her she'd be alright'

“He said she had fell and she was climbing from one balcony to the balcony below and she fell down. I ran down without my keys, shouting to my partner I was going.

“I held her hand, her eyes were open and I kept talking to her telling her she’d be alright.”

Toxicology expert Emma Harris said in a statement read to the court that Ms Drinkwater had cocaine and alcohol in her system.

“It is likely she was experiencing some effect of cocaine at the time of her death,” she said.

Earlier during proceedings assistant coroner Russell Caller reminded those in attendance at the inquest that the objective was not to determine blame.

The inquest continues.