Tearful father hears how Ciara drowned at home

THE father of 16-year-old Ciara Gibbs shed tears yesterday as an inquest heard evidence of how she died as a result of drowning at the family’s home in Co Kilkenny.

College lecturer Gerard Gibbs tried to resuscitate Ciara after he found her lying on the floor of an en-suite bathroom, her pyjamas top wet and the bottoms dry, but her body was cold and she was later pronounced dead at the scene.

The events of Sunday, November 26, 2006, were recalled at the inquest into Ciara’s death yesterday at the courthouse in Kilkenny city, when a jury returned an open verdict that she died as a result of drowning. The verdict was on the recommendation of coroner Rory Hogan who said a person had been found not guilty by reason of insanity at the Central Criminal Court in December.

Ciara Gibbs died in an upstairs en-suite bathroom at the family home at Killure, Goresbridge, Co Kilkenny.

A statement given by a friend of the family, psychiatrist Dr Marese Cheasty, was read out at the inquest. She recalled visiting Ciara Gibbs and her mother Lynn on the evening of November 25 and finding that Lynn, also a psychiatrist, was “low in herself and depressed” and worried about the anorexia she feared Ciara was suffering from. “I felt Lynn’s worries were out of proportion as it was early days for Ciara,” said Dr Cheasty.

Lynn had herself been prescribed two anti-depressants within the previous month but had come off both of them herself.

A statement from Gerard Gibbs was read out in which he said Lynn and Ciara had gone to Dublin on the Saturday and Ciara attended a maths lecture in UCD. He and his son, Gearoid, travelled to Ballypatrick in Co Tipperary to visit his mother and stay the night, as they did most weekends.

They travelled back the next morning but, when they got home, he found Ciara lying on her side in the en-suite bathroom of the main bedroom. He picked her up and laid her on the bed, but she was cold and had no colour. His wife was lying on the floor of the bedroom and he also picked her up and placed her on the bed, before phoning 999.

He attempted to resuscitate Ciara until the medical services arrived.

Ciara had been suffering from anorexia for the previous six or seven months, according to Mr Gibbs’s statement, but had not been diagnosed.

Garda Thomas Ryan said Ciara was pronounced dead at 10.15am on the morning of November 26, 2006, by Dr Ronan Fawsitt.

State Pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy gave evidence of carrying out a postmortem examination during which she found a number of small bruises and marks which could have been consistent with playing sports, but could also have been caused by a struggle if her head was being kept under water in the bath.

There were no injuries which could have caused her death, or even concussion, according to Dr Cassidy, and toxicology examinations showed no evidence of alcohol or drugs.

It was her opinion Ciara died as a result of drowning.

After the open verdict that death was due to drowning was returned, coroner Rory Hogan offered his sympathies to Mr Gibbs and his family. He said he regretted Mr Gibbs had to attend the inquest, but there was no way of avoiding it, and hoped that time would help to heal the family’s pain.

Last month, Lynn Gibbs, 47, was found not guilty by reason of insanity at the Central Criminal Court, and transferred to the Central Mental Hospital in Dundrum.