A mother has been remembered as a non-judgmental soul who saw the good in everyone after she died from catastrophic head injuries potentially caused in a vicious assault.
An inquest probing the death of 44-year-old Elizabeth Britton wrapped up on Thursday with a family tribute as a coroner weighs up if her fatal wounds were the result of an accident or an attack.
A police investigation is ongoing into how Ms Britton sustained the severe head injuries that left her dazed and unable to speak when she was found in her Pottsville home in northern NSW on October 10, 2022.
Despite efforts to save her, Ms Britton's condition deteriorated and she died in hospital several weeks later.
Deputy state coroner Carmel Forbes thanked Ms Britton's family for their involvement in the inquest and said she hoped answers would continue to come to light beyond the limited jurisdiction of the inquiry.
"There is a chance there may be criminal charges and at some point a criminal trial in relation to this matter," she said.
The inquest previously heard Ms Britton had a violent and abusive relationship with her former partner, Anthony Siganto, who was considered a person of interest, along with one other person who cannot be legally identified.
Counsel assisting the inquest Phil Hogan said the last time Mr Siganto claimed to have seen Ms Britton was roughly a week and a half before she was injured.
Mr Siganto terrorised neighbours in his Bogangar unit block and was regularly heard arguing with and threatening Ms Britton and others, the inquest heard.
One neighbour, Lesley Butterworth, said he had once abused and threatened her on a bus, which left her living in fear for her safety.
"I had to get off the bus because he was threatening me, swearing and calling me a black b**** and all this," she said,
Ms Butterworth said as the bus drove away, she saw Mr Siganto draw his finger across his throat and mouth the words "you're dead".
In a statement read to the inquest, family members remembered Ms Britton as a beautiful soul who was open-hearted with everyone she met.
“She did enjoy a drink or too many, but clearly she was never rude, aggressive or violent," they said.
"She was the happy drunk, the quiet one. The non-judgmental soul that saw the good in everyone."
NSW Ambulance paramedic Jamie Cameron, who was the first to treat Ms Britton, said when he arrived at the scene she was visibly shaking and looked "generally terrified".
An older man at the scene, identified earlier as Christopher Kendrick, the father of Ms Britton's son, allegedly told paramedics: “I think he has glued her lips together. She can't speak."
The paramedic said Ms Britton nodded when he asked her: “Did your boyfriend do this to you?"
Police were then called to respond to a potential domestic violence situation.
Mr Cameron told the inquiry he was aware there was no glue found on Ms Britton's lips when testing was done some time later.
The coroner is due to deliver her findings before Christmas.
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