Gaia Pope: Full inquest into teen's death delayed

Gaia Pope's body was found 11 days after she went missing in November 2017

An inquest into the death of a teenager found dead 11 days after going missing will likely be delayed until at least September because of coronavirus.

Gaia Pope, 19, was found near the Dorset coastal path in November 2017.

An inquest into her death had previously been delayed until May at her family's request due to "significant gaps in the evidence".

It has now been postponed a second time because of concerns the pandemic could derail proceedings.

Senior Dorset Coroner Rachael Griffin told a pre-inquest review hearing in Bournemouth that by May "the risk will not be reduced enough to guarantee the safety of those attending in person".

She said: "I have not taken that decision lightly. It is with great regret that is the decision of the court today."

Gaia Pope's family spoke to reporters at a previous inquest hearing

During the hearing the coroner said the inquest, when it eventually takes place, will look at whether Miss Pope's epilepsy may have caused or contributed to her death.

It was also revealed that Miss Pope was allocated a council social worker in the weeks leading up to her death.

Miss Pope's family have said "vital questions" about her death remain unanswered.

They believe she died due to failings by police and mental health services following an allegation of rape.

Marienna Pope-Weidemann, Miss Pope's cousin, said: "The delay's been devastating for the family. We're desperate for this to be over.

"But we're also determined to prevent future harm and push for any improvements that need to be made to the support provided to people in our community struggling now with mental health, with abuse.

"In the context of Covid-19 there are more [people struggling with mental health] now than ever so the outcome of this inquest matters."

A coroner previously said the inquest would not look at how police investigated Miss Pope's allegation.

But it would look at the impact it had on her mental health and how she was treated by health services from 2015.

Miss Pope's disappearance on 7 November 2017 prompted a series of searches by police, the coastguard and hundreds of volunteers in the Swanage area.

Her body was found by police on 18 November, close to where items of her clothing had been found two days earlier.

A post-mortem examination concluded she died of hypothermia.