When Emma Urquhart was jailed for burgling her neighbours’ flat in 2020, it was a turning point in her tumultuous life.
Once out of prison, she dedicated herself to helping other recovering addicts.
But tragically, aged just 42, she died at her home in Ashford after struggling with her own battle with drugs.
An inquest into her death earlier this month heard heroin and cocaine were found – with Emma discovered unresponsive on her bed.
She had suffered a heart attack, linked to years of drug and alcohol abuse.
Speaking to KentOnline afterwards, her partner of 17 years, Tony Deaville, gave a candid account of their life together.
“Everything we did, we did to extremes,” he admitted. “The drugs and the crime were always mental.”
But he also told how in recent years Emma sought redemption, working for organisations helping other people struggling with addiction.
She volunteered for Reach Out and Recover Kent (ROAR), where bosses described her as “a true inspiration” and an “amazing friend to so many”.
Tragically, Tony says that at the time of her death, Emma “was the happiest she had ever been”.
“She had a massive impact on the people around her,” he said.
“She was really witty. A beautiful soul.
“She had one of those laughs that as soon as she started laughing, everybody in the room started too. A real dirty laugh.
“If she was your friend, she was your friend for life.
“Emma was very intelligent as well – she spoke sense.”
Emma was born in Inverness and was taken into care due to her mother’s alcohol abuse.
She eventually moved in with her brother but struggled with eating disorders and her mental health.
Tony – himself a former user – told KentOnline: “She suffered from depression and sadly the antidepressants weren’t enough.
“She drank to excess and used other substances to cope.
“I’m not entirely certain where my problems started, but mine seemed quite easy to get past compared to Emma’s.
“Even when Emma was clean and doing well, she still struggled.”
The couple met in Southampton through a dating app in 2007 and quickly moved in together.
Tony, 43, recalled: “It’s really weird how things have turned out in the end, because I was the one in and out of prison.
“Emma was the good one.”
Over time, the pair’s addiction grew worse and culminated in their children from separate relationships being taken away by social services.
“Emma’s world got smaller and smaller as all the people she cared about disappeared,” he said.
“This was the worst point for Emma. I was in prison, so she was on her own.”
Emma fell pregnant and got a space in rehab, but her son was put up for adoption at birth.
Tony continued: “She tried to stay clean but sadly she relapsed. She was never a bad person, just controlled by her addiction.
“She did many things that she hated doing, but she was totally powerless.”
A breakthrough for the pair came after they reached one of their lowest points.
In March 2020, they stole belongings from an empty student flat next door to their own.
Both pleaded guilty at Southampton Crown Court. Tony was sentenced to five years in prison, and Emma 32 months.
But behind bars the pair got clean and, upon release, Emma relocated to Kent and found The Forward Trust, a charity helping drug and alcohol addicts recover.
She successfully completed her course and started volunteering with the organisation, eventually securing a paid position as a trainee practitioner.
Sadly, Emma started secretly using – breaking the terms of her contract.
Tony explained: “She was so scared that she would lose what she had built, by admitting what was going on and asking for help.
“The only person she would talk to was me.
“But she had asked for counselling and there was a six-month waiting list.
“So even when she did ask for help, is the help there when you need it?
“In her mind, she would lose everything if she admitted she was using again.
“That wasn’t true. She may have lost her job and home, but she didn’t lose me and her friends.”
“I just thought it was always going to be me and her…”
Eventually, Emma got clean again and began volunteering for ROAR, another organisation set up by Forward Trust members, where Tony already worked.
She built her life back up and had a strong support system.
But tragedy struck on July 5 last year.
Tony had not been able to get hold of Emma. Growing worried, he asked a friend nearby to check on her.
Emma was found unresponsive on her bed at home in Park Place, Ashford. Police were called and she was declared dead at the scene.
Tony recalled: “It was really out of the blue.
“She had been doing really well and it was literally a one-time thing.
“That one decision basically was what ended her life.
“That was all it took to lose everything.
“We lived for each other. Everything I did revolved around Emma.
“I just thought it was always going to be me and her.
“We had gone through the recovery bit together and everything before it.
“Together we were stronger, I suppose.”
An inquest into Emma’s death concluded at Oakwood House in Maidstone on Friday, January 10.
After testing the heroin found in the house, police discovered it was laced with nitazene – a synthetic opioid which is contributing to the deaths of many drug users across the UK.
However, a toxicology report showed no traces of the drug in her system.
There was 0.01mg of cocaine per litre of blood. The fatal dose is considered to be 0.25mg.
In terms of alcohol, the levels were only just over the drink-drive limit.
In a narrative conclusion, coroner Katrina Hepburn said: “Emma had previously abused drugs but recently had a period of abstinence.
“On July 5, she was found deceased with cocaine and alcohol in her system. Emma died from a sudden cardiac death due to sustained cocaine and alcohol toxicity.”
The coroner felt she could not rule it a drugs-related death, as the role illicit substances played was not certain.
However, she determined that years of addiction had taken a toll on Emma’s health and contributed to her death.
Dozens of people attended a memorial event in Canterbury organised by ROAR.
They left off pink balloons, each carrying a heartfelt message from those who loved Emma.
ROAR is a scheme set up by The Forward Trust and made up of recovered addicts.
It aims to bring support, connection and hope to individuals, families and communities affected by addiction.
Bosses are currently running a crowdfunding campaign to bring Self-Management And Recovery Training (SMART) recovery meetings to Thanet, Canterbury, Ashford, Maidstone, Folkestone and Dover.
SMART is a science-based therapeutic program providing a ‘toolbox’ of methods and is not restricted to those in treatment services as some 12-step programmes are.
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