A British woman living in Australia has died after running through a glass door and partially severing her arm following an alleged argument with her boyfriend.
Claire Austin, 38, severed an artery in her arm when she hit the internal glass door at her Sydney flat, and was found bleeding profusely just after 7.30am on Saturday.
The marketing executive, who is originally from Woking, Surrey, had been living in the apartment with her boyfriend Lee Loughlin, 44, who also moved from the UK.
Neighbours said they had heard the pair arguing and Mr Loughlin reportedly told police the pair were having a row before Ms Austin ran through the glass door.
One neighbour said he heard fighting begin at about 7am on Saturday, and this altercation was ‘at a different level than usual’.
‘They both sounded (like) something would happen,’ he told Daily Mail Australia.
‘I heard the woman at first and it worried me. Then I heard the man. I think I heard a crash and then I didn’t hear the woman again.’
The neighbour then heard a man screaming ‘somebody help me’ over and over and decided to investigate, with the noise prompting someone in the area to call the emergency services.
Ms Austin was rushed to hospital and put on life support. After being told she would not survive her injuries, her family immediately flew from the UK to Sydney and arrived on Tuesday morning, just hours before she passed away.
Claire Austin, 38, was found inside her top-floor apartment bleeding from a partially severed arm and was later placed on life support but died in hospital on Tuesday
Boyfriend Lee Loughlin, 44, told police the pair had an argument before the incident and he was ‘released without charge and no arrests have been made at this time’ police said
Emergency crews rushed to the block of flats in Randwick following a Triple Zero call and Claire was taken to St Vincents Hospital and placed on life support, but she died on Tuesday
Friends gathered at her apartment today to leave tributes and toast her memory.
Former colleagues at marketing firm The Do Collective, which she left last month to start a new job, said Claire was ‘a lovely person’ who embraced life and had a large group of friends.
One of the cards left for Claire read, ‘To the sweetest soul, it was an honour to have known you. Your presence is truly missed.
‘Thank you for all your love and support – words can’t describe how painful this is. Rest in peace Claire.’
Ms Austin was in a relationship with Mr Loughlin, a recruitment analyst who is also from the UK and runs his own company, Lead Group in Darling Harbour.
The couple moved into their rented two bedroom Randwick flat last May, and neighbours said they heard them ‘fighting constantly’, but that the fight last Saturday morning ‘sounded way worse’.
Mr Loughlin assisted police with their inquiries and was admitted to a mental health facility.
‘He has since been released without charge and no arrests have been made at this time,’ a New South Wales Police spokesman said, adding that the police investigations are continuing.
Workmates who gathered to toast Claire (above) said she was ‘a lovely person’ loved life and had enjoyed a large group of friends
The two-bedroom apartment, which features a sunroom with sliding glass doors, was rented by Claire Austin and her recruitment company executive boyfriend Lee Loughlin
Workmates from the creative agency Claire Austin had only left in March placed flowers, cards and tributes and embraced in their grief at the growing shrine outside the apartment block
NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Peter Thurtell said Ms Austin’s death was being treated as a criminal matter.
‘This is a tragic loss of life and we are determined to work out exactly what happened,’ Deputy Commissioner Thurtell told Australia’s Daily Telegraph.
Daily Mail Australia revealed an application for an apprehended violence order on behalf of Ms Austin was due to face Waverley Local Court on Thursday.
It is not suggested the person named in the order was linked to the incident that led to her death.
