A mum-of-two died of a drug overdose just two days before Christmas, a court heard.

Jessica Stacey, 30, from Brighton, was at a friend’s flat in Thames Close, Kemp Town, when she died on December 23 last year.

At an inquest into her death at Woodvale Coroner’s Court, Brighton, on October 18, her grandmother Jacqueline Senussi’s statement was read out.

“Jessica was outgoing, fun and cheeky as a child.

“She met the father of her children while at school and they had a volatile relationship.

“They had a son together and her drug use started after she and her partner split.”

Jessica and her partner got together again for a short time and had a second child who was born addicted to drugs.

Because she could not get clean, their second child was put up for adoption.

They remains in the care of Jessica’s family.

Jessica’s mother had been a heroin addict and died in 2019, which “really affected Jess,” her grandmother said.

She tried to get clean but relapsed.

Ms Senussi said: “She would tell key workers she wanted to go to rehab but then would make excuses.”

Her grandmother saw Jessica at the Royal Sussex on December 21, where she had been admitted with a bad kidney infection.

“She told me she wanted to leave the hospital to sort out Dylan’s Christmas present,” said Ms Senussi.

Jessica had been receiving support from multiple agencies, including Change Grow Live (CGL), a recovery service for people with drug and alcohol addiction.

In the days leading up to her death, Jessica was in hospital. She was given leave on December 22, when she went to a friend’s flat in Kemp Town.

They had a party at the flat and were up until the early hours of the morning.

Jessica fell asleep on the sofa and was heard snoring at around 6am.

One of her friends left the flat and returned at 3pm to find Jessica not breathing.

Police and the ambulance service were called and Jessica was declared dead shortly afterwards.

Concluding the inquest, assistant coroner Gareth Jones said her death was “drugs related” and there was “no evidence that she intended to take her own life”.

There was insufficient evidence for a conclusion of accident or misadventure.