Date set for the full inquest into death of Swanage teenager

Following delays due to the coronavirus pandemic, the full inquest into the death of Gaia Pope will now be heard four months later than expected.

The 19 year old from Swanage went missing on 7th November 2017, leading to a search involving hundreds of people from the local community, the police, fire service and coastguard.

Advertisement 

Her body was found 11 days later by police on 18th November 2017 near the South West Coast Path between Anvil Lighthouse and Dancing Ledge, just west of Swanage. A post-mortem examination concluded that Gaia died of hypothermia.

Pre-inquest hearing in Bournemouth

At a pre-inquest hearing in Bournemouth on Tuesday 15th September 2020, Dorset Coroner, Rachael Griffin set a provisional date for the full inquest of Monday 10th May 2021.

The hearing was expected to be in January 2020 but it’s been delayed to ensure that all the evidence has time to be properly reviewed before the inquest goes ahead.

Postponed during the summer due to coronavirus

Two pre-inquest hearings were postponed during the summer due to coronavirus. Two more pre-inquest hearings have now been scheduled for early next year, prior to the full inquest.

This will be the opportunity for Gaia’s family to hear evidence from more than a hundred witnesses about the police investigation into her disappearance and the events leading up to her death.

The family’s legal team will be able to question the witnesses, so they can understand, as best as possible, what happened. The full inquest is expected to last eight weeks.

Share this story

Contact us

Do you have anything to add to this story?

We like to keep everything up-to-date, so if you know more, please help us by getting in touch.

Advertisement 

Top stories

Storm Ciarán sweeps into Swanage brushing away its flood defences Concrete blocks along Swanage seafront to protect against flooding were strewn across the road by the force of Storm Ciarán, while Studland beaches had about five years of coastal erosion ... 1 month ago BBC snubs Purbeck by filming Enid Blyton stories in Cornwall 1 week ago Polar Express magic arrives in Swanage for Christmas 3 weeks ago Crisis at Swanage Railway as £450,000 survival fund is launched 1 month ago Restaurant with perfect view of Swanage Bay to open in 2024 2 weeks ago

Most recent

Business is blooming in Swanage town centre Bucking the national trend of empty shop units, Swanage in Dorset is seeing lots more new businesses opening up in the heart of the seaside town. 11 hours ago Inspiring Christmas trees at Swanage festival 1 day ago Enchanted evenings light up Purbeck secret garden 2 days ago Swanage seafront survey result gives council splitting headache 3 days ago Plans for growth at Swanage community garden 4 days ago