A student hanged herself while under the influence of a “pernicious” drug, an inquest found.

Georgia Jackson, who studied at the University of Brighton, was found hanged by friends at her shared home on the morning of Tuesday, December 5, last year.

Two days before, the 21-year-old had taken a Xanax tablet which sent her into an extremely out of character rage, leaving friends with no option but to call police.

Miss Jackson, of Shanklin Road in Brighton, had also taken ketamine and the combination brought on a Jekyll and Hyde situation, yesterday’s inquest heard.

She also had ADHD.

The inquest heard Miss Jackson was extremely angry at friends on the Monday, something all of them insisted was not normal for her.

The accounting and finance student had turned up at friend Gabriella Carter’s home in nearby Pevensey Road uninvited.

Giving evidence, Miss Carter said it “was not Georgia” who visited.

Worried, she and friends took Miss Jackson’s car keys as they did not think she was fit enough to drive.

Miss Carter phoned police, who drove Miss Jackson home. the inquest heard the officers saw the side of Miss Jackson which her loved ones said was the real her.

Miss Jackson, originally from Harlow, Essex, was picked up by police constables Jamie Hardy and Emma Holliday from the friends’ house in Pevensey Road.

The officers described their experience with her as nothing like they usually encountered in similar situations.

“She made us laugh,” said PC Hardy.

She added that Miss Jackson took a keen interest in their jobs and joked with them so much they initially missed the turning for her road.

When PC Hardy was told Miss Jackson died, she “burst into tears”.

“I broke down because it’s rare that, as response officers, we meet people that are nice to us,” she said.

“She was exactly that.

“I was absolutely devastated.”

However, Miss Jackson’s mood turned again when she was back home and she texted Miss Carter enraged at the fact she had called police.

Miss Jackson’s friends Ellie Richards, Elle Zuk, Miss Carter and Oonagh Lee, who found her body, all gave evidence at the inquest in Brighton.

They all said the Miss Jackson they had seen in the hours before her death was not the one they were accustomed to.

Friends thought she was asleep on the night of December 4 – which, the coroner said, on the balance of probabilities was the night she hanged herself.

The second year student was not a regular drug user and those closest to her described her as the “life of the party”.

A post-mortem found traces of Xanax, a benzodiazepine and ketamine, though neither amount was toxic.

Xanax is 20 times stronger than diazepam, from the same family of controlled drugs.

It is available in either a quick or slow-releasing form.

It is illegal in the UK and is a Class C controlled drug.

Coroner Veronica Hamilton-Deeley described Xanax as “pernicious” and said it played a significant role in Miss Jackson taking her own life.

She called Miss Jackson an “extraordinary young woman” and praised her friends before recording her conclusion.

“They were very, very much aware that the Georgia they were seeing on the afternoon of the 4th of December last year was not their Georgia, it was somebody who was affected by a pernicious drug –Xanax,” Mrs Hamilton-Deeley said.

She said the cause of Miss Jackson’s death was cardio-respiratory failure brought on by hanging.

The presence of Xanax and ketamine were deemed contributory factors in her death.

Mrs Hamilton-Deeley recorded a short narrative conclusion.

“I cannot record a conclusion that Georgia took her own life because the Georgia who was found is not the Georgia that I have come to know,” she said.

“Equally, I cannot record that this was an accident because there was that degree of planning and spontaneity as well.

“Georgia died when she hanged herself whilst her ability to make rational decisions was impaired.”

The inquest into Miss Jackson’s death at the Jury’s Inn Hotel in Stroudley Road, Brighton, was attended by almost 30 people.

Her best friends and family were present, along with paramedics and police officers.

One of six children, Miss Jackson was football mad.

An Arsenal fan, she was a member of the football society at the university, and played regularly.

She attended the university’s Falmer campus and had aspirations of becoming an accountant after her studies.

Her parents, Martin and Cherry, said after the inquest: “She was everything to us. She was just a brilliant girl.

“Xanax is obviously a potent drug and we wouldn’t want anyone to take it.”

Cherry added: “I just can’t believe she’s never going to walk through the door again.”

They are planning a football tournament to raise money for a suicide charity.

Miss Jackson’s friends said: “She was amazing – the most beautiful girl we have ever seen. She loved football and wanted to do well in life. She wanted to be just like her dad.”

The group also warned against the dangers of Xanax, saying it was an extremely unsafe drug.

Have you had suicidal thoughts? You can get help. Samaritans are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

To contact them, call 116 123.