A woman patient was given ten times her prescribed dose of a sedative by a nurse at Bradford Royal Infirmary, an inquest has been told.

The overdose, which took place on an infectious disease ward, was spotted by a nurse who had just come on duty and spotted three empty vials of the tranquiliser in the bin next to 36-year-old Maureen Njume's bed, the hearing in Bradford was told yesterday.

Cameroon-born Miss Njume should have been given 1.5mgs of the drug but was given 15mgs instead. When the alarm was raised, the nurse who administered it said she had thought each vial contained 0.5mgs not 5mgs.

Although the mum-of-one, of Dirkhill Street, Great Horton, was already so ill that she had only hours left to live, the overdose of Haloperidol would have hastened her inevitable death, the inquest was told.

Miss Njume died on June 25, 2011 – 30 days after she had been admitted and one hour after the overdose was administered.

The circumstances surrounding her death triggered a police investigation. A file was later sent to the Crown Proseuction Service which eventually concluded no further action be taken.

The inquest heard doctors diagnosed HIV, Heptititis B and suspected tuberculosis. A post-mortem exam showed she also had cancer of the immune cells.

The inquest was continuing today.