Gaia Pope: Whistleblower reveals phone calls to police

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

A teenager found dead 11 days after going missing may have called the emergency services several times on the day she vanished, an inquest has heard.

Gaia Pope was reported missing from her home near Swanage, Dorset, in 2017, sparking a major search operation.

A police whistleblower has given a statement saying the 19-year-old made calls that were terminated by police because they said she was "abusive".

The Pope family described the anonymous officer as "courageous".

Miss Pope - who suffered from severe epilepsy - disappeared on 7 November 2017.

It prompted a series of searches by police, the coastguard and hundreds of volunteers in the Swanage area.

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

A post-mortem examination concluded she died of hypothermia.

The pre-inquest hearing in Bournemouth heard the identity of the whistleblower - called Officer X - is currently only known to the coroner and the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

The officer has alleged in a statement to the police watchdog that Miss Pope telephoned the force on the day she vanished and the calls were terminated by police.

Rachael Griffin, senior coroner for Dorset, said information about two phone calls had not been known about previously.

She said: "If Officer X is to be believed, there is evidence of two items or documentation that have not been provided to me that could be very relevant to this inquest."

The coroner asked Dorset Police to undertake a review of its disclosure of all relevant material.

'No words'

Beatrice Collier, representing the chief constable of Dorset Police, said: "At the moment, what we have is a suggestion from an anonymous witness that there was a call that was put through to another PC where the caller was abusive and incoherent, so he terminated the call.

"No further information is said as to why it is said that is a call from Miss Pope-Sutherland."

In a statement after the pre-inquest hearing Miss Pope's family said: "Today has been a very difficult day for Gaia's family but Officer X's courage in coming forward has given us hope.

"There are no words to express our gratitude for the integrity they have shown in coming forward."

The jury inquest is due to begin on April 25 next year.

It will be conducted under Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights in order to consider "how and in what circumstances" Miss Pope died.

They will also consider evidence of Miss Pope's epilepsy, her mental health, particularly the impact upon her of an alleged rape she suffered aged 16.

Dorset Police took no further action in relation to that allegation and her family say she subsequently developed symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

During the police investigation, three people, two men aged 19 and 49 and a 71-year-old woman, were arrested. They were released without any further action being taken.