A teenage girl discovered her mother in bed covered in blood and suffering from serious head injuries.

Heather Platt, 38, is expected to spend the next three weeks in a specialist head injury unit after suffering from two brain haemorrhages following a night out with friends in Brighton city centre.

Sussex Police is investigating how Ms Platt came to suffer such serious injuries.


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Ms Platt, from Brighton had enjoyed a night out socialising in the city centre and came home in a taxi.

The driver dropped one friend off before Ms Platt – but the next morning the homelessness worker was discovered seriously ill in bed by her 16-year-old daughter.

She had injuries to her head and hands and was still wearing her coat.

The girl, who the family have asked not to name, called Ms Platt’s father Jim Dickson, who drove her to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton and she was transferred to the specialist brain injury centre Hurstwood Park in Haywards Heath, where she is likely to remain for the next three weeks.

Detective Sergeant Simon Dunn said: "We know this woman had been out socialising with friends on Saturday night (February 15) and was dropped home by a taxi at just after midnight.

“Her daughter came home on Sunday morning and found her mum in bed with injuries to her head.

“At this stage, this incident is being treated as unexplained and we are keeping an open mind as to what happened. If you have any information that can help us try and help us piece us together what happened, please get in touch on 101 or email 101@sussex.pnn.police.uk quoting Operation Medley.”

Yesterday Ms Platt’s father Mr Dixon, 66, also of Brighton, said he thought his daughter could have accidentally stumbled down the stairs after getting home.

He said: “We know she got out of a taxi.

“I think she was a little bit inebriated of course.

“She was okay after getting out of the taxi, she took off her shoes and went upstairs.

“But it looks as though when she went to walk down stairs she might have slipped.

“She will be in hospital for three weeks.

“She broke her fingers, one of her ears is bashed and she has two blood clots – one in her brain and one inside her brain.

“At the moment doctors are hoping time will heel it.

“When I arrived at her house I took one look at her and said, ‘we’re going to hospital’.”

He added: “It’s stressful.”