A star employee at the UK Treasury took her own life the day after being summoned to a disciplinary meeting over an anonymous complaint, a coroner has found. Chloe Moffat, 26, was 'happy as Larry' and unaware she was due to receive a bonus before becoming the subject of what her mother described as "vexatious" office gossip.

Coroner Anna Crawford concluded on Tuesday that the Treasury had "materially contributed" to Ms. Moffat's death by failing to inform her that she was unlikely to be fired, even if the allegations against her were proven. Ms. Moffat had asked managers if she would lose her job, but was told they "could not predict the outcome at this stage."

Ms. Moffat, who had worked as a PA at the Treasury for three years, was summoned to a meeting with two managers on May 19 last year. She was informed of an anonymous allegation that she had shared sensitive confidential information about colleagues, which she denied. Ms. Moffat, who had no history of mental illness, had requested a friend accompany her to the meeting but was told it would be "inappropriate."

After the meeting, Ms. Moffat sent a text message to a friend stating, "I am going to be fired." She met with the friend in central London, where she "broke down crying" and expressed deep concern about the reputational impact of the allegations. She then returned to her parents' home in Godalming, Surrey, where she was found dead by her father the following morning, May 20. The medical cause of death was given as hanging.

The inquest heard that Ms. Moffat had an unblemished employment record and was regarded highly by directors, with emails indicating she was on course for a promotion and had recently been awarded a bonus. Her mother, Anna Moffat, told The Times that her daughter had been "loving the job" and was unaware of the bonus when the complaint arose. She believed the allegations were "no more than office gossip" and "vexatious."

The coroner stated that Ms. Moffat should have been told that the likely sanction, if the allegations were proven, would have been a written warning, not dismissal. Crawford added that Ms. Moffat's fear of losing her job likely contributed to her decision to take her own life. The coroner criticized the Treasury for not adhering to its own written Discipline Policy and Procedure.

Although managers followed advice from the HR department, the complaint was not handled according to company policy. Internal emails revealed that misconduct was already deemed "serious" before the meeting, which the coroner suggested was intended to elicit an admission from Ms. Moffat to initiate a formal disciplinary process. The coroner noted that safeguarding measures, necessary for allegations of serious misconduct, should have been in place for Ms. Moffat.

Crawford concluded that Ms. Moffat's death was a suicide and that she intended to take her own life. She announced plans to send a report on the prevention of future deaths to the Treasury and the head of the civil service, citing a potential "wider issue" within the government. A Treasury spokesman stated that the department "take[s] the Coroner's concerns extremely seriously" and is considering the findings carefully. The department has introduced improvements to guidance, support, and well-being arrangements. The parents of Ms. Moffat released a statement describing her as a "bright, caring and talented young woman" who "loved her family, her friends and her work" and had a "promising future ahead of her."