Police officers, called to help a Catford woman who fell to her death from a car park, chose not to approach her, an inquest heard.

Karlene Wright of Datchet Road fell backwards over the wall of Centrale shopping centre's multi-storey car park in Croydon, on July 19, 2009.

On the second day of the hearing into the 40-year-olds death, the court heard police arrived 10 minutes before she fell, but the officers decided it was too dangerous to interact with her as she was sat on the ledge.

Giving evidence, PC Hannah Clark of Croydon police said: "We were too far away from Mrs Wright to engage with her, the distance was too much and the fact was she was sitting on the edge of a building which was extremely high.

"We decided it was dangerous for all concerned to rush her, but we did decide if she did come back down and was a responsible distance from the wall, we would try and rush her and detain her for her own safety."

Croydon Coroners Court heard PC Clark observed the mother-of-one from an unmarked police car, while her colleague PC Philip Evans managed the area.

PC Evans said: "I saw her appear up high on the ledge, I hadn't had a chance to approach her or speak to her at all."

The court heard the PC decided to go inside the centre where he felt he had a better view of Mrs Wright.

He added: "I stayed there with the knowledge if she did get down I would have to rush back to the car park, but she didn't get back down."

Recording an open verdict, coroner Dr Roy Palmer, said: "I do not have enough to persuade me beyond reasonable doubt that this was an act of suicide.

"She was there a long time without falling, she got off the wall to walk around. I have some lingering doubt, this was a cry for help that someone would do something but it never came about. I will put down open at the end of this conclusion."