Gaia Pope inquest: Hypothermia could have caused teen to 'hide and die'

Forensic pathologist Dr Russell Delaney said Ms Pope could have experienced “hide and die” behaviour as a result of suffering from hypothermia after she went missing in Swanage on November 7, 2017.

The 19-year-old was discovered in undergrowth on a clifftop less than a mile away on November 18 and an 11-week inquest at Bournemouth Town Hall will explore the events of those 11 days, as well as Ms Pope’s medical history and the response of the relevant authorities.

READ MORE: Gaia Pope was a "very determined individual" with "real aspirations"

Dr Delaney, who conducted Ms Pope’s post-mortem, told jurors she was “increasingly destressed” on November 7 and believed she was pregnant after recently splitting from her boyfriend, despite a negative test.

Ms Pope’s aunt called the police after she had left the address at around 4pm "in distress", Dr Delaney said.

She attended a nearby address and was described as behaving irrationally and began undressing.

She ran to another address where she was acting in a “highly sexualised” manner, jurors were told.

Ms Pope left the address and was last seen on CCTV between 4.30pm and 4.40pm. Dr Delaney was informed clothes were found spread out in a field “as if she was undressing and walking towards a clifftop”.

He was of the opinion Ms Pope died of hypothermia after conducting the post-mortem and said she could have been experiencing paradoxical undressing.

Dr Delaney said paradoxical undressing is a result of feeling hot during hypothermia and confusion as a result of it.

“There's another type of behaviour which is called hide and die behaviour,” he said.

“An individual suffering from hypothermia is known to burrow into a closed a space. It's thought to be primitive reflex, it's a behaviour observed in some but not all cases.

“The location [of the body] may be due to the hide and die behaviour or confusion of it being dark and suffering with hypothermia.”

Dr Delaney said he could not determine if Ms Pope had a seizure due to her epilepsy prior to her death, despite reporting to have five to 10 seizures a day.

He also said Ms Pope may have removed her clothes as a result of her deteriorating mental health which then led to her becoming hypothermic.

“Hypothermia, I am certain, has made a significant contribution to her death,” he said.

Questions were also raised why Michelle Knight of the Dorset Epilepsy Service didn’t make a communication line with the Dorset Health Care trust when Ms Pope’s mental health began deteriorating.

Ms Knight said her team of two nurses didn’t have the resources needed to care for their thousands of patients in Dorset.

The inquest continues.