FOR more than a year before her death, Dr Suzanne Dow had been writing detailed and articulate letters of complaint about her neighbours.
The highly-respected lecturer in French at the University of Nottingham lived in Derby Street, Beeston, in a house she owned.
But it was next door to a property managed by Broxtowe Borough Council's housing department.
At the inquest into her death held last week, systemic failures in how the council dealt with those complaints – penned by Dr Dow and another neighbour – were revealed.
The household Dr Dow was complaining about was described in the inquest as a "crack den".
She had written letters to the council's housing department complaining about the tenants right up until her death in October 2011.
In them she detailed how she suffered severe verbal abuse, witnessed fights in the street involving knives, and regularly saw drug dealing and taking.
The council's housing department monitors problem households on a traffic light system: a green warning is issued for minor offences, amber for more serious misdemeanours, and red for the worst.
The council should have given the household a red light warning – meaning the tenants would be evicted if there were any more problems. But it failed to do this until seven weeks before Dr Dow's death.
At an inquest, Notts Coroner Mairin Casey said visits to the property from a housing officer had just been "idle, empty threats". She issued a Rule 43 report – done when action needs to be taken to prevent future deaths – which the council has to respond to.
The housing officer who dealt with the case, Alison Marshall, admitted the household should have been issued with a red warning in October 2010.
She said: "It should have been issued with a red warning. But it wasn't and I don't really know why it wasn't."
The council had received 11 complaints from Dr Dow and another neighbour about the property up to October 2011.
Dr Dow's mother, Maureen Dow, of Colchester, said after wards: "This had been going on for a long time. The housing department failed to act correctly and let her down.
"I was the one that told her about the council's traffic light system and encouraged her to complain. I remember her ringing me telling me they had told her they would issue a red warning – but they never did."
She added: "Suzie had so many friends and loved entertaining people. She wanted to help people and was very generous with her time and knowledge. I know she was my daughter and I'm bound to say it but she was so gifted – she was amazing. These last 15 months have been horrible and we'll never get over it."
A university spokesman said: "Suzanne Dow was a highly dedicated and gifted teacher, who was an inspiration to many of our students.
"She was an exceptionally gifted linguist, with a phenomenal command of the French language and an active dedication to translation work.
"Dr Dow's death has been a great loss to the department, university and the wider French Studies community. The loss is a personal as well as a professional one: we all miss her intelligence, her humour and her hospitality."
At the inquest the tenants in the house next door were named as Daryl Robinson, his twin-sister Gaynor Robinson, and her son Liam Peach.
Liam Peach, then 19, was sentenced to 28 days in a young offenders' institute in 2011 after admitting threatening behaviour following a complaint from Dr Dow. He also admitted an unrelated charge of theft.
The Post visited the house but did not get a response.
In one e-mail exchange between PC Sam Astle and Alison Marshall, the officer wrote of Dr Dow – after hearing she had written another letter – "you just can't win with some people can you?"
Miss Casey said this comment was "outrageous" and "appalling".
Inspector Craig Berry from Notts Police said afterwards: "The comments made in an email from a police officer who had been dealing with Dr Dow were regrettable. However, I am satisfied these were made without any intended malice. Both the officer and all staff have been reminded of the need for professionalism at all times, and in all forms of communication."
The inquest heard Dr Dow – who also had problems in her personal life and had suffered sexual abuse as a child – had taken an overdose of pills. The coroner recorded a verdict of suicide.
