A WOMAN who was at a gathering with Holly Lambert moments before her death has admitted using or threatening unlawful violence.

Rebecca Kearsley, of New Market Street in Ulverston, pleaded guilty to affray - a charge that prosecutor Lee Dacre said was 'not an offence regularly seen before the court.' 

The charge states that Kearsley, 42, 'used or threatened unlawful violence towards another and your conduct was such as would cause a person of reasonable firmness present at the scene to fear for personal safety' on February 20, 2023. 

Mr Dacre told South Cumbria Magistrates on July 15: "The situation developed into a heated argument. The defendant threw a bottle on the table in frustration."

He said there was some 'pushing and shoving' as Ms Lambert, whose death sparked a murder investigation, left the property in Ulverston.

"The defendant did not hit Holly Lambert," Mr Dacre said. 

The court heard Ms Lambert, 26, left the property and then collapsed at a bus stop. 

Kearsley has 12 previous convictions for 18 offences starting from 2011, including battery and breaching a restraining order, the court heard. 

Speaking on behalf of the defence, Andrew Nottingham said he 'did not take issue with anything' Mr Dacre said. However he made the case for Kearsley's sentence hearing to be adjourned to August 13 as he is waiting on a psychiatric report. 

"It is going to be the best way forward," chair of the bench Sharon Gillam said. 

"We are lacking knowledge and the psychiatric report." 

The case had been sent from Preston Crown Court to South Cumbria Magistrates. Mr Dacre said that it was only the second case he had seen being sent back to magistrates. 

Kearsley gave her guilty plea at the crown court during a pre-trial review hearing. 

Ms Lambert died aged 26 at Furness General Hospital in the early hours of February 20 last year. 

However her inquest on January 25 could not find a conclusive cause of death. 

Cockermouth Coroner's Court heard despite examinations from a Home Office-registered forensic pathologist, a consultant in cardiovascular pathology and toxicological analysis there was no evidence confirming her death was directly caused by an assault or by the use of drugs or alcohol. 

Delivering an open conclusion, the coroner Margaret Taylor said: "I know that this is going to come - and it has come - as surprising and disappointing that we have not been able to find out why Holly died. She was obviously very loved."