THE death of a mum-of-three – initially ruled a suicide – was “staged” by her husband, a coroner has ruled.
The bombshell twist comes 14 years after Helen Bird was found dead in the garage of her Blackmans Bay home in Tasmania, Australia.
SuppliedHelen Bird was found dead in July 2010[/caption]
SuppliedThe mum’s death was initially ruled a suicide[/caption]
She was found on July 8, 2010 by her husband Mark Bird at around 11.30am.
Helen’s death was at first deemed a suicide by a coroner in 2011, who found that nobody – including Mr Bird – had any involvement.
But years later, Coroner Robert Webster said the death was actually staged by Helen’s husband, who “incapacitated” her before setting up the scene and lying to cops.
He also slammed the police investigation into Helen’s death, calling it “inadequate”.
Mr Webster said: “Investigating police should not accept what they are told or what appears, from the scene.
“Such a death should be treated as a suspicious death until investigations conclusively establish otherwise.”
According to the coroner’s ruling, Mr Bird likely used toxic fumes to “incapacitate” the palliative care nurse.
Mr Webster found Mr Bird then caused Helen’s death by asphyxiation and made it appear as though she had committed suicide by setting her phone, a picture, and a letter on a nearby bench in the garage.
The coroner said in his findings: “There is no evidence Ms Bird had mentioned or threatened suicide, and there is no evidence of suicidal ideation.
“There was therefore no reason for her to be experimenting with ropes or other methods of harming herself and that experiment going wrong thereby leading to her death by accident or misadventure.”
Mr Bird “absolutely rejects” the claim that he was involved in his wife’s death and has never been charged with any crime related to it, Australian outlet ABC reports.
Mr Webster characterised Mr Bird as a “untruthful person” in addition to being an untruthful witness in his published ruling.
He said: “The evidence establishes Mrs Bird’s children were her life.
“She would not have left them behind particularly with someone [Mr Bird] who was incapable of properly looking after himself, let alone his children.”
In an affidavit, Mr Bird claimed that his wife had been drinking a lot of gin the night before she died, despite having assured police that she did not drink excessively.
The coroner found that Mr Bird had also distorted the real state of his marriage, citing claims of physical abuse and the couple’s “significant” financial strain.
According to news.com.au, Mr Bird was allegedly having an affair with another woman at the time his wife passed away.
In a “contrived” attempt to offer an alibi, Mr Bird – who said he had found his wife after returning from a shopping trip – called and texted his wife several times in the morning, according to the coroner.
Mr Webster said: “Mr Bird was a much larger person than Ms Bird.
“He was more stockily built than her and he was taller. He was therefore clearly stronger than her.
“There is evidence Mr Bird could be verbally and physically aggressive, which included comments that he wished to dispose of people he did not like, and he felt physical and verbal aggression towards his family.”
The coroner added he was satisfied “given the exclusion of all other hypotheses, and the evidence against Mr Bird, that he was involved” in his wife’s death.
He sent his condolences to Helen Bird’s family and friends who had suffered from her loss.
SuppliedA coroner has now ruled that Helen’s death had her husband’s involvement[/caption]
How you can get help
Women’s Aid has this advice for victims and their families:
Always keep your phone nearby.
Get in touch with charities for help, including the Women’s Aid live chat helpline and services such as SupportLine.
If you are in danger, call 999.
Familiarise yourself with the Silent Solution, reporting abuse without speaking down the phone, instead dialing “55”.
Always keep some money on you, including change for a pay phone or bus fare.
If you suspect your partner is about to attack you, try to go to a lower-risk area of the house – for example, where there is a way out and access to a telephone.
Avoid the kitchen and garage, where there are likely to be knives or other weapons. Avoid rooms where you might become trapped, such as the bathroom, or where you might be shut into a cupboard or other small space.
If you are a victim of domestic abuse, SupportLine is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200. The charity’s email support service is open weekdays and weekends during the crisis – messageinfo@supportline.org.uk.
Women’s Aid provides a live chat service – available weekdays from 8am-6pm and weekends 10am-6pm.
You can also call the freephone 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.
