Alice Robinson, 29, died just hours after her fiance Jason Francis was killed by a Domino's driver. Photo / Facebook
Alice Robinson, 29, died just hours after her fiance Jason Francis was killed by a Domino's driver. Photo / Facebook
The haunting last text a heartbroken girlfriend sent to her dead fiance before she died has been revealed at an inquest.
Jason Francis, 29, was hit by a white Volkswagen driven by a teenage pizza delivery driver in the Perth suburb of Scarborough on December 22 last year.
He wastaken to Royal Perth Hospital by paramedics but could not be saved.
Just hours later, his fiancee Alice Robinson, 26, was found dead in her car, news.com.au reports.
The British expats were living in WA and neither had family in Australia.
An inquest in Shrewsbury, the town the couple were from, has heard Ms Robinson sent a text about an hour after being informed of Mr Francis's death, telling him she loved him and of "her intention to join him", The Sun reports.
Coroner Mr Ellery said mobile phone records showed Ms Robinson sent the heartbreaking message at 10.21pm "expressing her love" for Mr Francis.
Mr Francis had phoned his fiancee to say he would be home in a "couple of minutes" after spending the day drinking with friends and was just yards from the couple's front door when the teenage delivery driver ran into him, reports stated at the time.
Her parents Leigh and Dawn Robinson paid tribute to their "beautiful, talented and gentle" daughter and spoke of their devastation at both deaths.
The pair, who had been together eight years, emigrated to Australia where Ms Robinson, a fine art graduate, worked for a lifestyle magazine.
Rugby player Mr Francis, a former RAF firefighter, was an asbestos technician in the construction sector and played rugby for Cottesloe Rugby Union Football Club.
In a statement at the inquest, Ms Robinson's parents said they believed their daughter should not have been allowed to leave hospital alone after learning of her fiance's death.
Ms Robinson "died of a broken heart" after being overcome with shock, her parents said.
"Alice was our beautiful, talented, gentle daughter and when she emigrated to Australia with Jason it broke our hearts but we knew that they would live and love their life to the full and cherish their time together," the statement read, The Sun reports.
Alice Robinson with her mum Dawn, who described their deaths as a 'real life, tragic love story'. Photo / Facebook
"On the 22nd of December last year our lives were shattered. News of Jason's sudden and tragic accident was dreadful. Then within hours we had a second visit by the police to inform us that Alice had died."
When Ms Robinson was informed by a police officer that Jason had been seriously injured she collapsed, the inquest heard.
Her parents said the officer allowed her to drive herself and find her way to the hospital alone.
'REAL LIFE, TRAGIC LOVE STORY'
After being told at the hospital her fiance had died, she was in shock and asked for some air but instead of returning she left the hospital, her parents said.
They added they believe police and the Royal Perth Hospital are accountable for their daughter's death adding the loss had left the family "heartbroken, totally crushed, and still in a state of disbelief".
"Finally it is important to say that the Coroners findings state Alice's cause of death was suicide but to us more accurately she died of a broken heart.
"It is a real life, tragic, love story."
The coroner recorded that Mr Francis died in a road collision, while Ms Robinson's death was "suicide linked to Jason's death", The Sun reported.
"Alice's death is inextricably linked to the death of her intended fiance. This is a double tragedy," Mr Ellery said.
FINAL LAST HOURS
Tragic details of the couple's last hours emerged last year stating Ms Robinson had spoken to her fiance just minutes before his death.
Mr Francis had been in Sorrento with friends before taking a cab home, calling his girlfriend on the way to tell her he would be home in a "couple of minutes".
Shortly after they spoke, around 8pm, Ms Robinson and other residents in the Stanley St apartment block heard sirens filling the street as emergency vehicles began to swarm.
Mr Francis had been struck by a VW Jetta driven by an 18-year-old Domino's Pizza driver.
According to the driver, he had inadvertently struck a motionless object lying on the road.
Friends and neighbours described the couple as "wonderful" people.
If you are worried about your or someone else's mental health, the best place to get help is your GP or local mental health provider. However, if you or someone else is in danger or endangering others, call police immediately on 111.
