Inquiry hears bridge death girl told her mum she would jump

Published on Monday 18 July 2011 18:40

A GIRL who fell to her death with a friend in an apparent suicide pact told her mum she was going to throw herself off a bridge, a fatal accident inquiry has heard.

Niamh Lafferty, 15, and Georgia Rowe, 14, died after falling more than 100 feet from the Erskine Bridge on 4 October, 2009. They were both residents at the Good Shepherd Centre in Bishopton, Renfrewshire.

The inquiry at Paisley Sheriff Court heard yesterday that Niamh had phoned her mother, Collette Bysouth, in August 2009, two months before she died, and said she intended to throw herself off the Erskine Bridge.

Simon Gilbride, representing Niamh's family, read out a written telephone report taken down by Adah Lambie, a senior social worker who worked with Niamh. The report said Ms Bysouth had called to report her daughter's claims.

Mr Gilbride said: "Ms Bysouth had received a phone call from Niamh saying that she was going to throw herself off the Erskine Bridge and she was asking where she would find her jugular vein. Ms Bysouth was extremely worried about her daughter's mental health and told Ms Lambie she thought she should be in hospital."

Ms Lambie, who works for Argyll and Bute Council, told the hearing: "She sounded worried. I consulted members of staff at the Good Shepherd Centre and was told that Niamh just wanted to hurt her mother, that she wanted her to worry about her. I was assured that Niamh was socialising at the centre and presenting herself as settled.

"Niamh had been seen by a number of medical professionals in the days before."

The incident came less than two weeks after Niamh had apparently taken an overdose while living in the East King Street care home in Helensburgh, her home town.

She was moved the following day to the Good Shepherd open unit.

The inquiry also heard that four days after she is believed to have taken the overdose, Niamh cut her wrists and had to get 16 stitches on the cuts.

At the hearing, Mr Gilbride asked Ms Lambie: "With two apparent attempts on her own life, didn't you too have concerns about Niamh making these sorts of comments to her mother?"

Ms Lambie replied: "Yes."

Mr Gilbride added: "If it were Collette Bysouth's position that her worries were not taken seriously, what would you say?"

Ms Lambie said: "It's not true."

Mr Gilbride read out a report from the Good Shepherd Centre which said on the same day Niamh had made the threats, she had climbed up on to the roof of the centre with a friend. It said the other girl had jumped and injured her neck, but Niamh was brought to safety by firefighters.

But Ms Lambie told the hearing that she does not remember any incident involving Niamh on the roof of the centre.

The inquiry in front of Sheriff Ruth Anderson QC continues.