Woman sensed ‘deep down’ her friend was making suicide plans

A woman accused of assisting her friend take her own life told gardaí she sensed “deep down” her friend had been making suicide plans but could not stop her.

Gail O'Rorke (43) a taxi-driver from Tallaght, Dublin said she knew that Bernadette Forde (51), who had progressive multiple sclerosis, had been "planning something" because she was tidying and returning things to people.

"She was clearly trying to protect people by not telling them," she said in a statement to gardaí, which was read out on the third day of her trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

“But deep down I knew she was planning something.”

Ms O’Rorke from Kilclare Gardens, Tallaght, has pleaded not guilty to aiding and abetting the suicide of Ms Forde by helping her to procure and administer a toxic substance between April 20th, 2011 and June 6th, 2011.

She also denies attempting to aid and abet the suicide by means of arranging travel to Zurich, Switzerland for such purpose between March 10th and April 20th, 2011. Ms Forde had planned to visit the Dignitas euthanasia organisation.

Ms O’Rorke also denies procuring the suicide of Ms Forde between June 4th and June 6th, 2011 by means of making funeral arrangements for her in advance of her death.

The defendant met Ms Forde in about 2003 when she worked as her cleaner. As her employer’s condition worsened, they spent more time together and became friends.

“Bernadette was angry over the disease but she was accepting,” she told gardaí in a statement.

She explained that after an attempt to travel to Dignitas was thwarted by gardaí who were contacted by the travel agent, Ms Forde began to keep her intentions increasingly to herself.

In the last few weeks of her life, the defendant told gardaí, Ms Forde “seemed to have a real clarity of mind”.

“At that stage I had a gut feeling something was going to happen but I knew I couldn’t stop her,” she told gardaí. “I’m glad she didn’t tell me as I would have refused to help.”

Of their aborted trip to Switzerland, Ms Forde said she was shocked at finding out it was illegal when approached by gardaí after booking the tickets.

“At no stage did I think this was aiding and abetting in anything illegal. Because Dignitas was a legal group I thought what we were doing was okay.”

Earlier in evidence, the court heard Ms O’Rorke had stood to inherit 30 per cent of the residue of the dead woman’s estate, referring to the portion of the estate not bequeathed in specific provisions by the deceased.

Ms Forde’s solicitor Maurice O’Callaghan said this residue was split 70-30 in favour of her niece Catriona. He said in their conversations he remained “100 per cent” satisfied Ms Forde was aware of what she was doing and had not been under any undue influence.

Travel agent Caroline Lynch said that in March, 2011 she received a phone call from Ms O'Rorke asking for information on flights, taxi transfers and hotel accommodation suitable for a disabled person in Zurich.

Aware of their plans to travel to Dignitas, staff at Rathgar Travel, concerned about legal implications, sought advice and contacted gardaí who decided to approach the defendant as she went to collect the tickets.

“I can’t say that she was aware of the offence but we made her aware of it,” Sgt Declan Sheeran said of the meeting in which Ms O’Rorke was fully co-operative.

The trial continues before Judge Patrick McCartan.