Posted 6th Oct 2009
Neve Lafferty & Georgia Rowe
TWO teenagers jumped hand-in-hand to their deaths from the Erskine Bridge in an apparent suicide pact after they sneaked out of a care home.
Neve Lafferty, 15, from Helensburgh, died following a 150ft plunge into the River Clyde after walking out of a residential open unit three miles away.
The other girl, understood to be Georgia Rowe, 14, from Hull, was also at the Good Shepherd Centre, near Bishopton in Renfrewshire. Questions were raised last night about how the girls managed to leave the centre unsupervised.
The pair were reported to have been holding hands when they jumped from the bridge's northbound carriageway shortly before 9pm on Sunday.
One of their bodies was recovered at about 9:30pm by a winchman lowered 50ft down to the water from a Royal Navy Sea King helicopter from HMS Gannet at Prestwick, as it hovered under the bridge.
The second was picked up about 30 minutes later by a police inflatable and taken to the old ferry slipway on the south side of the river. They were flown separately to the Southern General Hospital in Glasgow.
The girls had been referred to the centre seven to eight weeks ago and had just returned from a "happy and productive" weekend outing with relatives.
Staff had seen them in their pyjamas and thought they were watching television in their rooms. But they were later discovered missing during a routine check, and a search of the centre and the immediate vicinity was launched. Shortly afterwards, police called to tell staff of the incident at the bridge.
The unit cares for girls referred by local authority educational and psychological services, social work departments and children's hearings.
It said pupils were not kept under lock and key but any outing required authorisation. Jim Sheridan, the Labour MP
who represents Paisley and Renfrewshire North, said: "This is a terrible tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers are with their families, friends and fellow residents. People here are in shock.
"There will need to be questions answered. The Good Shepherd is a fine organisation, but we need to see an internal inquiry to find out why these two girls were out unsupervised at that time.
"We will also need to see a police inquiry to ensure there was nothing untoward at play."
A centre spokesman said: "The thoughts and prayers of all at the Good Shepherd Centre are with the families and friends of the girls who have died. Counselling is being offered to the other residents at the unit, who have been shocked and traumatised by what has happened."
Friends paid tribute to the girls on their pages on Bebo.
Debbie McCallum said of Neve: "We can't believe you are gone, Neve. We will never forget you honey or your big smile, rest in peace. Our thoughts are with all your family."
Dawn McMahon Blackhurst said of Georgia: "I'll never forget your wee cheeky smile and such a beautiful wee face. I'll think of you always."
Neve's page also featured a tribute to her boyfriend Jonny, who died this year.
One tribute to Neve on the website GoneTooSoon read "RIP, hun, I used to live in the Good Shepherd and I tried to commit suicide also whilst I stayed there and I can sort of know how you and your friend felt. My heart goes out to your family."
Last night, Argyll and Bute Council confirmed one of the girls was known to social work officials.
A spokeswoman said: "We will be holding our own investigation into the circumstances surrounding this distressing case, and will of course assist other agencies in any way we can during their enquiries."
A Strathclyde Police spokesman said: "Inquiries are continuing. However, there would appear to be no suspicious circumstances surrounding the deaths."
Locals brace themselves for start of winter 'jumping season'
THE drop of up to 150ft from the Erskine Bridge into the Clyde has attracted the suicidal since it opened 38 years ago.
Locals refer to the period between November and January as the "jumping season", when they claim there is one such incident every week.
Alan McCabe, who has lived for 17 years next to a former ferry slipway beside the bridge, said it was an "occupational hazard" for residents.
He helped rescue services with the recovery of one of the victims of Sunday night's double tragedy. However, Mr McCabe said the deaths of the two girls was so out of the ordinary that it had shocked emergency services staff.
He told The Scotsman: "The people involved in the operation were touched – they really were affected. One of the female fire service officers was very upset. This was different because it was two youngsters. It was so stupid. Why would you kill yourself at that age? It's mind-blowing."
Mr McCabe said that from his long experience of people jumping from the bridge, the incident stood far apart from the usual tragic tales. He said: "This was planned. This was not drunken and drug-fuelled; this was a stone-cold sober thing. It is very scary when kids start getting this sort of thing into their heads."
Mr McCabe, 50, who owns a taxi business, estimated that each recovery operation – involving helicopters, boats and other rescue services – costs about £100,000.
He said: "We call it the circus – the helicopters come out and everything.
"This is the start of the jumping season, and there is about one a week."
Mr McCabe said just three people had survived the drop, two of whom had managed to drag themselves out of the water and a third who had been blown back into the bridge structure.
Several measures have been introduced to try to cut the death toll. Emergency telephones have been installed at both ends of the bridge so that those with suicidal thoughts can be directly linked to counsellors.
Similar equipment has been used on other bridges.
In addition, fencing on the bridge's footpaths has been heightened at the northern end of the crossing to help protect people in Old Kilpatrick from being struck from above.
However, the Scottish Government's Transport Scotland agency said it may not be possible to extend the higher barriers across the whole bridge because of the extra strain it would put on the crossing during strong winds.
The barriers are about shoulder-height over the rest of the structure, which is nearly a mile long.
Attempting to find appropriate solutions for troubled teenagers
THE Good Shepherd Centre in Bishopton is a registered charity providing residential and educational care for girls aged between 12 and 17.
It is registered with the Care Commission and has 45 residential places and 30 places at its day facility. Referrals come from all over Scotland, but mostly from the Central Belt.
The site was formerly a convent run by the Sisters of the Good Shepherd before becoming St Euphrasia's home for girls. It was renamed the Good Shepherd Centre in 1985.
In February, West Renfrewshire MSP Trish Godman raised concern with the Scottish Government over the centre's possible closure in a cash crisis.
Ms Godman, who wrote to community safety minister Fergus Ewing, said at the time: "The girls currently looked after are in obvious need of care, security and protection during a difficult time in their lives. Therefore, the girls' needs must be foremost in our minds."
The centre comprises three sections – an open unit, a secure unit and the St Francis day unit.
After an informal pre-admission visit with parents and social workers, girls are referred to the most appropriate unit. A key worker is allocated and a care plan drawn up.
The centre has access to two psychologists and has a team helping residents prepare for adult life.
Each resident has her own bedroom, some with en-suite facilities. There are also relaxation areas for "quiet" time.
The centre is an independent unit owned and managed by a voluntary board of managers. It is affiliated to the Cora Foundation, a non-profit-making company owned by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Scotland, a committee of the presiding bishops of Scotland's eight dioceses and retired bishops. Its president is Cardinal Keith O'Brien.
Its secure unit operates a 22-day assessment period to determine risk factors, potential offending and welfare needs. Its programmes include drug and alcohol awareness, substance misuse and anger management.
The centre defines its approach as "eclectic", saying no one theory can adequately respond to the complex feelings, needs and behaviours presented by the young people in care.
The St Francis day unit offers intensive day placements.
» See Also: http://news.scotsman.com/scotland/Aged-just-14-and-15.5705464.jp
