THE tragic death of a “warm, funny and mischievous” 11-year-old girl is still shrouded in mystery.

Georgia Elizabeth Newnham was found dead in her bed with a can of aerosol deodorant clutched in her hand. An inquest into her death yesterday failed to reach a conclusion as to exactly why she died.

Georgia’s heartbroken mother Joanne Lewendon, from Hove, left the hearing as it was told post- mortem results showed Georgia had died from cardiac arrest caused by inhaling butane or propane – the propellants in the Sure deodorant she was found with.

Georgia had been living under the care of special guardians Cassandra and Steven Copping in Arundel Road, Peacehaven, at the time of her death on May 15. She was placed there by Brighton and Hove Children’s Services.

Mrs Copping, a foster parent for 20 years, told the inquest she had been buying the youngster spray-on deodorant for at least two years but never took her to a GP or told her teachers about the apparent body odour problem.

Mrs Copping told the inquest at Eastbourne Town Hall she had been unable to wake Georgia on the morning of May 15 and found her face down, wrapped in her duvet with the deodorant can in her hand.

She said: “She didn’t like taking showers and smelled strongly of body odour. I was constantly telling her to spray herself with deodorant.

“Georgia had her own wash bag and her own deodorant. She usually had a Nivea one but we went shopping the day before to Lidl in Newhaven and they didn’t have her usual one so I bought her a different one made by Sure.”

Under questioning from Miss Lewendon’s barrister Adam Korn, Mrs Copping said she had read the warning on the can which said “keep out of reach of children”, knew about the dangers of inhaling solvents and had warned Georgia not to use is in confined spaces.

She added: “She had been using deodorant for a few years.

“I bought her a roll-on but she refused to use it. She said it made her sticky and she wanted to smell the same as me so I bought her the same as mine.

“She had been using it a few years, since she was nine or ten.”

Georgia’s form teacher at Peacehaven Community School Jane McCaughan said she had never noticed any concerns about Georgia having body odour and said she thought it was highly unlikely the bubbly youngster would have deliberately abused solvents.

Georgia’s GP Judith Sakala said she had not seen a doctor for over a year and no concerns about her having body odour had been raised.

Detective Inspector Vivian Johnson, of Sussex Police’s safeguarding investigations unit said when she inspected Georgia’s room on the morning of her death she found a 13.5 tog duvet on Georgia’s bed and said she had been found in flannel pyjamas.

East Sussex senior coroner Alan Craze said he could not make his mind up about the exact reason for his death and adjourned making a verdict until the new year.