Family speaks out ahead of new inquest decision

THE family of a nine-year-old girl who died shortly after an operation to remove her appendix say they will not accept a verdict of natural causes as the finding of the new inquest into her death.

Frances Sheridan died in February 2004, three weeks after her appendix was removed at Cavan General Hospital.

Her mother, Rosemary, returned her to hospital when she began to complain of stomach pains, but doctors there believed she was suffering from a stomach bug and sent her home.

Two days later, Frances, from Cootehill, Co Cavan, became sick again at home and collapsed. She was taken by ambulance to Cavan General Hospital and was declared dead on arrival.

The jury at the original inquest last December found that Frances died of natural causes, which the Sheridan family refused to accept.

At the weekend the Attorney General (AG) announced his decision to hold a second inquest into the child’s death. His decision has not been explained to the family.

After the original inquest the family’s solicitor wrote to the AG complaining that the verdict was incompatible with the evidence.

The girl’s father, Brian, pointed out that the family’s local doctor examined Frances when she began to complain of stomach pains and recommended she be taken to hospital to confirm his diagnosis.

At the time the doctor wrote a covering letter pointing out he suspected that Frances was suffering from a twisted gut.

Mr Sheridan told RTÉ yesterday that nobody seemed to know where the letter went to or what happened to it.

He recalled how Frances took ill in the middle of the night. “She was complaining of feeling sick and said that she couldn’t see. Then she vomited up stuff and just collapsed.”

A short time later the child died in her mother’s arms.

Results of a post mortem showed the girl’s bowel had got caught in adhesions from the operation.

Mr Sheridan said they were happy enough with the evidence accrued from the post mortem.

He also pointed out that he was surprised by last year’s decision of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) that no charges would be brought.

Mr Sheridan said they now expected a verdict of death by misadventure, or something similar, to be returned by the jury in the second inquest. He warned the family would seek another inquest if there was another finding his daughter died of natural causes.