Marsland, who met Karos when they were both studying at Salford University, told the hearing: “She just kind of lost herself.
“I was concerned about her state of mind. I was concerned about Martina’s mental health, it seemed to be in rapid decline.
“She made reference to me about feeling that her life was not worth living and made reference to suicide, which is why I contacted social services.
“I didn’t think she would harm Eleni in any way. She absolutely loved her.”
She said her friend was unable to work, and socialising became difficult because of the demands of caring for her child, with Marsland describing her friend as “very socially isolated”.
Marsland told the inquest she had alerted social services in December 2023 about her concerns for Karos’s mental health.
A child protection plan was put in place by Salford City Council but Marsland said her friend did not feel “overly supported” and took it as a “punishment”.
Marsland said that although respite care was given to Eleni so her mother could have a break, the times when she was then available to socialise did not always coincide with that of her friends.