Charlotte Bevan inquest: Gorge fall mother 'not psychotic'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-34428873

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A mother who fell to her death with her newborn baby in the Avon Gorge "did not appear to be psychotic" hours before, an inquest has heard.

Occupational therapist Deborah Evans had assessed Charlotte Bevan, 30, on the day she disappeared with her four-day-old Zaani Tiana Bevan Malbrouck.

She had no prior experience of caring for a pregnant woman with severe mental health issues, the coroner was told.

Ms Bevan suffered from depression and schizophrenia.

She had stopped taking medication in order to breastfeed.

Ms Evans told Avon Coroners Court she was concerned about when it should be restarted and Ms Bevan's lack of sleep.

'Tired and pale'

"She talked a lot about her pregnancy and how much she was looking forward to having the baby," she said.

"We reached an agreement that she would re-start the medication and she would remain in hospital for 48 hours.

"The concerns we had was that she had not had much sleep and was looking tired and pale.

"When I observed her she did not appear to be psychotic and she did not have any difficulty in following the questions.

"She greeted us warmly and talked spontaneously and held the baby without any concerns or difficulties."

Coroner Maria Voisin asked if she had received any specific training in dealing with the problems presented by Ms Bevan, and was told she had not.

The court heard Ms Evans had taken over responsibility for Ms Bevan in July and had met regularly with her leading up to Zaani's birth.

'Not sectionable'

Ms Bevan and Zaani Tiana Bevan Malbrouck vanished from St Michael's Hospital in Bristol on 2 December.

The inquest has heard she was seen on CCTV leaving the hospital in slippers, with her baby wrapped in a blanket at 20:36 GMT.

Her body and the body of baby Zaani were found on 3 and 4 December respectively.

On Friday, Susan Dursley - a clinical nurse specialising in psychiatry - told the inquest she had examined Ms Bevan on the 1 December and decided she did not need to be sectioned under the Mental Health Act.

"We couldn't have forced her (to take the medication) because she was not sectionable," she said.

"She needed to stay in hospital at that point so we were not at that stage looking at a hospital discharge plan."

The inquest was adjourned until Monday.