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Verdict of suicide returned at inquest into death of 11-year-old Dublin girl

A coroner returned the verdict at the inquest into the death of Milly Tuomey from Templeogue

A CHILD AGED eleven unhappy with her physical appearance posted on her Instagram account of her intention to die.

A coroner returned a verdict of suicide at the inquest into the death of Milly Tuomey from Templeogue in Dublin 6. The child died on 4 January 2016.

“Milly was loving and greatly loved, fit, healthy, connected, engaged and talented,” the child’s devastated parents Fiona and Tim Tuomey said in a statement after the inquest.

“When we discovered out of the blue that our child had told her friends on Instagram that she had chosen the day she would die, we couldn’t believe it. We did not know what to do,” they said.

Dublin Coroner’s Court heard that on 3 November 2015 Milly posted on Instagram to hundreds of friends of her intention to die on a certain date.

Her parents were alerted by her elder sister and her school. They took Milly to see their GP and during this visit Milly expressed a death wish. She spoke about thoughts of self harm and said she had been unhappy with her physical appearance for a number of years.

Her GP recommended she see a clinical psychologist at An Cuan, a private counselling and psychotherapy clinic. The Tuomeys made an appointment but the psychologist was no longer taking patients. Milly was assigned to an art therapist, who was not qualified to make clinical assessments, the inquest heard.

The child began a series of weekly appointments on 4 November 2015 where she was encouraged to explore her emotions through verbal and visual means.

After Milly’s first visit, the therapist advised her mother to make an appointment with the HSE’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).

An appointment was made for January 30 2016 but this was brought forward after Fiona Tuomey found a ‘suicide diary’ along with medication indicating an attempt at self harm under her daughter’s bed.

“We were terrified. We had no experience of this and no idea what to do,” she said.

The family was advised to go to their local emergency department if any concerns arose over Christmas or out of hours.

The court heard that on 1 January 2016 the family ate dinner together and watched a film. That evening, Milly declared she was bored and left the room.

She was found moments later in a critical condition and emergency services were called. She was rushed to Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital where she died on 4 January.

Suicidal ideation

Irish children as young as seven have expressed suicidal ideation, Psychiatrist Dr Antoinette D’Alton told the court.

“Years ago this would have been unimaginable. Now suicidal ideation is increasing in children as young as seven. There is a care pathway but it is under resourced,” Dr D’Alton said.

Ireland currently ranks fifth in Europe in cases of suicide in the ten to 14 age group and the past decade has seen a ‘step by step increase’ in instances of non-fatal self-harm among ten to 14 year olds, according to Director of Research at the National Suicide Research Foundation Professor Ella Arensman.

Coroner Dr Myra Cullinane commended the Tuomeys for their decision to donate their little girl’s organs.

The coroner noted comments from experts who stated further resources were required for child and adolescent mental health services and recommended the provision of information to support parents and families while they wait to be seen by services.

In their statement, the family said that they discovered there are no clinical protocols for when a child has a mental health crisis: “In 21st Century Ireland this is simply not acceptable.”

They had hopes and dreams for their daughter, and Milly had hopes and dreams for herself, they said. In an excerpt from her diary, Milly told how she hoped to be a ‘famous doctor,’ get married and have children.

“When I am 23 I would like to have my first baby and when I’m 24 my second baby. If I have two girls I want to call them Vanessa and Grace Tuomey,” she wrote.

If you need to talk, contact:

  • Samaritans 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org
  • Aware 1800 80 48 48 (depression, anxiety)
  • Pieta House 1800 247 247 or email mary@pieta.ie (suicide, self-harm)
  • Teen-Line Ireland 1800 833 634 (for ages 13 to 19)
  • Childline 1800 66 66 66 (for under 18s)

Read: After their mother died by suicide, these Irish brothers are now helping Australians speak out >

Read: ‘I really hope we don’t run out of time’: Desperate parents share stories of children’s suicide attempts >

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    Mute Liam Doyle
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    Aug 9th 2018, 9:16 PM

    The display picture on this article led me to believe I was going to enjoy a new opportunity to see Jason Statham be constantly angry and suspicious while just generally being hard, but charming, and shirtless, often unnecessarily shirtless. I’m therefore disappointed with the options provided.

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    Mute Harry Whitehead
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    Aug 9th 2018, 9:20 PM

    @Liam Doyle: You’d have liked Kevin Bishop’s great idea for a Jason Statham flick called “The Puncher” where he spends the whole film constantly having to swing his fists and hit anything he comes into contact with (including his little girl when he rescues her at the end) – unfortunately the link is blocked by Channel 4.

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    Mute Shougeki
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    Aug 9th 2018, 10:33 PM

    @Harry Whitehead: Crank is his best. And still the ringtone on my phone. Albeit when he see’s jackasses stealing his car and goes out “This is a hurl. From an ancienct gaelic game that is a cross between hockey and murder” was pretty awesome too.

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    Mute Harry Whitehead
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    Aug 9th 2018, 11:47 PM

    @Shougeki: LOL forgot about Blitz.

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    Mute Felicity Hensen
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    Aug 10th 2018, 3:00 AM

    @Shougeki: Thought that quote was so good I had to rewind the film so I could write it down!

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    Mute Ron Noco
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    Aug 9th 2018, 9:54 PM

    Going to cinema these days isn’t special anymore… someone always checking their phone , others arrive late, and no matter where you sit you’ll be annoyed by someone hopping of the back of your seat asking to pass for constant trips to the toilet

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    Mute Luke McDermott
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    Aug 9th 2018, 9:55 PM

    @Ron Noco: too many comic book films as well imo.

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    Mute Seán Domhnall O'Sullivan
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    Aug 9th 2018, 10:30 PM

    @Ron Noco: I have no issue telling people to shush. If u want to chat not in an emergency ,please leave the cinema.

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    Mute shanekeogh
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    Aug 9th 2018, 9:23 PM

    Ha comments closed because the journal doesnt do truth, shame on you lot, a news story needs truth

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    Mute Paul Furey
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    Aug 9th 2018, 11:58 PM

    @shanekeogh: And….the truth is??

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    Mute shanekeogh
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    Aug 10th 2018, 12:04 AM

    @Paul Furey: the traveller woman dragged her 6 kids to sleep in a garda station, while shes on fb last few days with boxes of drink, buying waterford crystal, offer 10,000 few weeks ago for a seven seater, 3 weeks ago she was delighted she got housed in tallaght by the council, but then refused it because it was the hap scheme, and she has a partner

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    Mute Frank O'Connor
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    Aug 9th 2018, 10:57 PM

    How can someone be let out on bail when they are charged with murder? What a country we live in. Absolutely farcial.

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    Mute Seriously stunned
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    Aug 10th 2018, 8:48 AM

    @Frank O’Connor: which movie is that?

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    Mute White Rhino
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    Aug 9th 2018, 8:36 PM

    What happened to great storytelling…all these movies are rubbish. Go to the cinema now it’s “I see stupid people”

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    Mute Conor Paddington
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    Aug 9th 2018, 8:49 PM

    @White Rhino: what’re you talking about? The Meg is this generation Citizen Kane.

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    Mute Conor Paddington
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    Aug 9th 2018, 8:51 PM

    @White Rhino: its only shortcoming is the absence of Rock “the Dwayne” Johnson.

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    Aug 9th 2018, 9:35 PM

    @Conor Paddington: You forgot Vinnie ‘I’m the Juggernaut, bitch!’ Jones.

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    Mute Seán Domhnall O'Sullivan
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    Aug 9th 2018, 10:28 PM

    @Conor Paddington: i agree. The world needs these films .while baffling and scientifically absent ,my personal fave is Sam Andreas. Tsunamis, quakes and a bizarre Kylie cameo ..plus when Rocko saved his daughter was actually surprisingly moving. Great mess of a film.

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    Mute Seán Domhnall O'Sullivan
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    Aug 9th 2018, 11:17 PM

    @Harry Whitehead: I met Jones in Kemare Co. Kerry. Rude abrupt and bully ish, I will add that I was just a nipper.

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    Aug 9th 2018, 11:50 PM

    @Seán Domhnall O’Sullivan: “Oi, Kemp…you been tellin’ the extras you’re ‘arder than me?”

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    Mute Garrett Colreavy
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    Aug 9th 2018, 10:20 PM

    The meg tommorow afternoon

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    Mute Seán Domhnall O'Sullivan
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    Aug 9th 2018, 10:25 PM

    Totally gonna look up the bizarre and awesome ‘ghost shark,’ ahead of this The Meg business. Could not be more ridiculous than Sharknado but is it remotely on the same level ?

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