Pamela Winterburn, 44, hanged herself in a field close to her home in Soham, Cambridgeshire, after her employer treated her with a 'lack of compassion' A stable girl who was left 'devastated' when she was laid off by one of Sheikh Mohammed's yards killed herself after being 'bullied' and 'belittled' by her new employers, an inquest heard. Pamela Winterburn, 44, hanged herself in a field close to her home in Soham, Cambridgeshire, in July after staff treated her with 'a lack of compassion'. An inquest heard how she walked out of trainer Hugo Palmer's yard in Newmarket, Suffolk, in April, after a colleague had called her lazy. She had previously been  forced to take redundancy from Darley Stud, in Newmarket, a thoroughbred breeding operation founded by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Miss Winterburn, who once looked after Sir Henry Cecil's Classic-winning filly Ramruma, was 'bullied and frightened' and 'constantly belittled, sworn at and made to feel small', the inquest heard. The day after her death, her mother Lyn Marshall confronted Mr Palmer and the inquest heard he allegedly told her: 'What the bloody hell do you want me to do about it?' Miss Winterburn, who had taken a small overdose after losing her job at Darley Stud, left behind a note detailing the care of her horses. Concluding a verdict of suicide at the inquest in Chatteris, Cambridgeshire, Coroner William Morris said Miss Winterburn's various employers 'lacked compassion'. He said: 'This was a very distressing matter. I have heard evidence that Miss Winterburn was bullied and that certainly sounds credible evidence. 'She felt she had no option but to walk out of her job. I think she was dealt with by her various employers with a lack of compassion.' The coroner heard how Miss Winterburn was devastated when she was forced to take redundancy from Darley Stud and was out of work for more than a year. She tried to fight the redundancy and took the case to the Houses of Parliament, arguing that long-term staff were being replaced by migrant workers. She took a small overdose when her attempts for justice fell on deaf ears, the coroner was told. A Darley spokesman confirmed Miss Winterburn worked for the stables' pre-training operation and left in May 2012. He said he would not comment on former employees except to say they were 'very saddened by the events that unfolded earlier this year.' He added: '97 per cent of Darley employees are EU nationals and no migrant workers were taken on after she left.' Miss Winterburn went on to get a job with Hugo Palmer but walked off the yard on April 22 after the head stable girl accused her of being lazy, an inquest heard. Miss Winterburn, pictured, walked out of trainer Hugo Palmer's yard in Newmarket, in April, after a colleague had called her lazy, an inquest heard. The coroner said that she had been treated with a 'lack of compassion' Miss Winterburn, who worked at the yard for 14 months, burst into tears and said she was having a nervous breakdown before leaving. The next day she contacted Mr Palmer to ask about going back and was told her job had been given to a boy because she had left. But Mrs Marshall, 63, said her daughter had not intended to leave her job, she had just had enough. Miss Winterburn sought help through the National Association of Stable Staff and the inquest heard an opinion expressed that she was wrongly advised to get another job. She was then offered a job the same day 'out of the blue' by another trainer Ed Walker - but three weeks later was told she was no longer needed. Feeling as though there was 'something wrong with her' she became 'actively suicidal' and hanged herself in the field near her home in Soham, Cambridgeshire, on July 21. Miss Winterburn once looked after Sir Henry Cecil's Classic-winning filly Ramruma (right). She was also laid off by Darley Stud, a breeding stable founded by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (left), in 2012 . Neighbour Julie Tenney, 57, told the hearing she was 'constantly belittled, sworn at and made to feel small' and someone should have helped her. She said: 'She was thrilled to bits when she got the job with Hugo Palmer, she was thrilled to be working with horses again and she loved the job, but she was always very anxious going in because there was an issue of bullying. 'She told me she was constantly belittled, sworn at and made to feel small. 'I think Pam's fight or flight kicked in on the day she walked out, she just had to get away from the situation, she went around the corner and sobbed her heart out, but nobody went to her. Former employer: Trainer Hugo Palmer declined to comment on the evidence the inquest heard . 'I saw her that night, she was trembling, she was shaking and she was crying, she was worried about her job, I pretty much told her to leave as no job was worth it. 'If Hugo Palmer had done his job as an employer, if someone had listened to Pam, put their arm round her and said we can help you with this, she would still be here today.' Miss Winterburn also sought help from the British Horseracing Association but Simone Seyer of Racing Welfare explained they could not get involved in employment issues. On the day she died, Miss Winterburn had been packing her home ready to move in with her mum in Yorkshire, and had already organised transport for her horses. George McGrath, chief executive of the National Association of Stable Staff (NASS), said he believes there is an element of bullying in horse racing. He said: 'There is an element of bullying in horseracing because it generally attracts a younger generation of people fresh out of school who are a bit more susceptible to it. 'But I would not call it an epidemic and we do our best to stamp it out.' Speaking about Miss Winterburn's case, he added: 'We did not give bad advice, we gave advice which was truthful. 'We just give employment law advice so we forwarded her onto Racing Welfare. 'We spent a lot of time speaking to her and helping her resolve her employment law issues and we explored every avenue we could. 'But it was clear Pam needed specialist help so we put her in contact with Racing Welfare. 'We do not advise people to leave their jobs and we did not advise Pam to leave hers.' A spokesman for Racing Welfare said: 'We were very sad to hear of Pamela's death. She was seen by members of our Welfare Team on a number of occasions, as outlined during the inquest. 'We helped and supported her as much as possible and, when her needs fell outside of our remit, we advised her with regard to seeking help elsewhere or approaching other agencies. 'Our sympathy at this time is very much with Pam's family and her friends. Miss Winterburn was left 'devastated' after she was forced to take redundancy from Darley Stud (above) 'Racing Welfare support is available to all members of racing's workforce, and their families, both through our regional Welfare Offices and our 24-hour Helpline.' A British Horseracing Authority (BHA) spokesman said: 'We are aware of the sad circumstances involving Pamela Winterburn. She contacted several organisations, including BHA, earlier this year. 'We spoke to her at length and listened to her concerns, and tried to help her by ensuring she was receiving the correct support from the relevant bodies. 'Reports of bullying in stables are very rare indeed. No specific allegations of bullying were made to BHA in this case. 'If there are legitimate concerns raised about practices in a yard BHA will always look into them.' Trainer Hugo Palmer today declined to comment on the evidence the inquest heard. Fellow trainer Ed Walker said he was unavailable to comment on the case.
Pamela Winterburn, 44, hanged herself in field in Soham, Cambridgeshire .
She was forced to take redundancy from Darley Stud, Newmarket .
The stable girl had been 'bullied' 'belittled' and 'sworn at' at new job .
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Pamela Winterburn, 44, hanged herself in a field close to her home in Soham, Cambridgeshire, after her employer treated her with a 'lack of compassion' A stable girl who was left 'devastated' when she was laid off by one of Sheikh Mohammed's yards killed herself after being 'bullied' and 'belittled' by her new employers, an inquest heard. Pamela Winterburn, 44, hanged herself in a field close to her home in Soham, Cambridgeshire, in July after staff treated her with 'a lack of compassion'. An inquest heard how she walked out of trainer Hugo Palmer's yard in Newmarket, Suffolk, in April, after a colleague had called her lazy. She had previously been  forced to take redundancy from Darley Stud, in Newmarket, a thoroughbred breeding operation founded by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Miss Winterburn, who once looked after Sir Henry Cecil's Classic-winning filly Ramruma, was 'bullied and frightened' and 'constantly belittled, sworn at and made to feel small', the inquest heard. The day after her death, her mother Lyn Marshall confronted Mr Palmer and the inquest heard he allegedly told her: 'What the bloody hell do you want me to do about it?' Miss Winterburn, who had taken a small overdose after losing her job at Darley Stud, left behind a note detailing the care of her horses. Concluding a verdict of suicide at the inquest in Chatteris, Cambridgeshire, Coroner William Morris said Miss Winterburn's various employers 'lacked compassion'. He said: 'This was a very distressing matter. I have heard evidence that Miss Winterburn was bullied and that certainly sounds credible evidence. 'She felt she had no option but to walk out of her job. I think she was dealt with by her various employers with a lack of compassion.' The coroner heard how Miss Winterburn was devastated when she was forced to take redundancy from Darley Stud and was out of work for more than a year. She tried to fight the redundancy and took the case to the Houses of Parliament, arguing that long-term staff were being replaced by migrant workers. She took a small overdose when her attempts for justice fell on deaf ears, the coroner was told. A Darley spokesman confirmed Miss Winterburn worked for the stables' pre-training operation and left in May 2012. He said he would not comment on former employees except to say they were 'very saddened by the events that unfolded earlier this year.' He added: '97 per cent of Darley employees are EU nationals and no migrant workers were taken on after she left.' Miss Winterburn went on to get a job with Hugo Palmer but walked off the yard on April 22 after the head stable girl accused her of being lazy, an inquest heard. Miss Winterburn, pictured, walked out of trainer Hugo Palmer's yard in Newmarket, in April, after a colleague had called her lazy, an inquest heard. The coroner said that she had been treated with a 'lack of compassion' Miss Winterburn, who worked at the yard for 14 months, burst into tears and said she was having a nervous breakdown before leaving. The next day she contacted Mr Palmer to ask about going back and was told her job had been given to a boy because she had left. But Mrs Marshall, 63, said her daughter had not intended to leave her job, she had just had enough. Miss Winterburn sought help through the National Association of Stable Staff and the inquest heard an opinion expressed that she was wrongly advised to get another job. She was then offered a job the same day 'out of the blue' by another trainer Ed Walker - but three weeks later was told she was no longer needed. Feeling as though there was 'something wrong with her' she became 'actively suicidal' and hanged herself in the field near her home in Soham, Cambridgeshire, on July 21. Miss Winterburn once looked after Sir Henry Cecil's Classic-winning filly Ramruma (right). She was also laid off by Darley Stud, a breeding stable founded by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (left), in 2012 . Neighbour Julie Tenney, 57, told the hearing she was 'constantly belittled, sworn at and made to feel small' and someone should have helped her. She said: 'She was thrilled to bits when she got the job with Hugo Palmer, she was thrilled to be working with horses again and she loved the job, but she was always very anxious going in because there was an issue of bullying. 'She told me she was constantly belittled, sworn at and made to feel small. 'I think Pam's fight or flight kicked in on the day she walked out, she just had to get away from the situation, she went around the corner and sobbed her heart out, but nobody went to her. Former employer: Trainer Hugo Palmer declined to comment on the evidence the inquest heard . 'I saw her that night, she was trembling, she was shaking and she was crying, she was worried about her job, I pretty much told her to leave as no job was worth it. 'If Hugo Palmer had done his job as an employer, if someone had listened to Pam, put their arm round her and said we can help you with this, she would still be here today.' Miss Winterburn also sought help from the British Horseracing Association but Simone Seyer of Racing Welfare explained they could not get involved in employment issues. On the day she died, Miss Winterburn had been packing her home ready to move in with her mum in Yorkshire, and had already organised transport for her horses. George McGrath, chief executive of the National Association of Stable Staff (NASS), said he believes there is an element of bullying in horse racing. He said: 'There is an element of bullying in horseracing because it generally attracts a younger generation of people fresh out of school who are a bit more susceptible to it. 'But I would not call it an epidemic and we do our best to stamp it out.' Speaking about Miss Winterburn's case, he added: 'We did not give bad advice, we gave advice which was truthful. 'We just give employment law advice so we forwarded her onto Racing Welfare. 'We spent a lot of time speaking to her and helping her resolve her employment law issues and we explored every avenue we could. 'But it was clear Pam needed specialist help so we put her in contact with Racing Welfare. 'We do not advise people to leave their jobs and we did not advise Pam to leave hers.' A spokesman for Racing Welfare said: 'We were very sad to hear of Pamela's death. She was seen by members of our Welfare Team on a number of occasions, as outlined during the inquest. 'We helped and supported her as much as possible and, when her needs fell outside of our remit, we advised her with regard to seeking help elsewhere or approaching other agencies. 'Our sympathy at this time is very much with Pam's family and her friends. Miss Winterburn was left 'devastated' after she was forced to take redundancy from Darley Stud (above) 'Racing Welfare support is available to all members of racing's workforce, and their families, both through our regional Welfare Offices and our 24-hour Helpline.' A British Horseracing Authority (BHA) spokesman said: 'We are aware of the sad circumstances involving Pamela Winterburn. She contacted several organisations, including BHA, earlier this year. 'We spoke to her at length and listened to her concerns, and tried to help her by ensuring she was receiving the correct support from the relevant bodies. 'Reports of bullying in stables are very rare indeed. No specific allegations of bullying were made to BHA in this case. 'If there are legitimate concerns raised about practices in a yard BHA will always look into them.' Trainer Hugo Palmer today declined to comment on the evidence the inquest heard. Fellow trainer Ed Walker said he was unavailable to comment on the case.
Pamela Winterburn, 44, hanged herself in a field compassion' A stable girl who was left being 'bullied' and 'belittled' by her new Darley Stud, in Newmarket, a thoroughbred 'constantly belittled, sworn at and made to feel Winterburn was devastated when she was forced to to get another job. She was then offered a job her home in Soham, Cambridgeshire, on July 21. the day she died, Miss Winterburn had been