Gail O'Rorke acquitted of two suicide-related charges

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Gail O'Rorke was acquitted of two of three charges at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on 24 April 2015. Judge Patrick McCartan directed the verdicts because the prosecution had not produced enough evidence for those counts to go before a jury. The proceedings were reported on 24 April 2015.

She had pleaded not guilty to the toxic-substance charge and denied the other two allegations.

The first acquitted charge alleged aiding and abetting Bernadette Forde’s suicide by helping her procure and administer a toxic substance in Dublin between 20 April and 6 June 2011. The report described this as ordering a lethal dose of barbiturates from Mexico, later taken by Forde to end her life. The second alleged procuring Forde’s suicide through advance funeral arrangements between 4 and 6 June 2011.

The remaining charge alleged attempting to aid and abet Forde’s suicide by attempting to arrange travel to Zurich between 10 March and 20 April 2011. The plan to reach the Swiss euthanasia clinic Dignitas was thwarted when the travel agent alerted gardaí.

Prosecuting counsel Remy Farrell SC said the case concerned booking tickets with Rathgar Travel and that it made no difference that gardaí foiled the plan or that neither woman reached Switzerland. Defence counsel Dermott McGuinness SC asked how O'Rorke could have aided and abetted something that never happened, saying: “Flying to Switzerland isn’t suicide or attempted suicide.” Farrell rejected the defence argument that 85 per cent of Dignitas visitors did not proceed with assisted suicide, calling it irrelevant and a distraction.

Closing speeches had concluded. The report said the jury was due to begin deliberations on Monday after being addressed by the judge.

This report covers an earlier stage of the case. Later developments are not reported here.