Coroner blames fashion industry for bulimic schoolgirl's death

The fashion industry was squarely blamed by a coroner today for the death of a schoolgirl who was found hanged after suffering from an eating disorder.

Michael Rose, the West Somerset Coroner, called on magazines and catwalks to stop using thin models after Fiona Geraghty was found dead at her home, near Taunton, last year.

The 14-year-old schoolgirl, who had been suffering from bulimia, hanged herself in her bedroom in July last year. She had confided in health staff that she had been taunted by other girls at her public school because of her weight.

ITV News' Wales and West of England Correspondent Emily Morgan reports:

Mr Rose also urged one major fashion magazine, which recently made the decision not to impose any weight restrictions on models, to reconsider. He said: "at the end of the day for their benefit, families like this must suffer".

Fiona weighed just 9st 6lb (60kg) and had a body mass index of 20.9 when she was found dead at home in Nailsbourne, near Somerset, on July 14th last year.

Fiona's mother, Dr Elspeth Geraghty, told the court that the problems started soon after she moved to King's College in Taunton, Somerset from its prep school.

She said that Fiona was a victim of bullying by other students at the school, where she attended as a £5,910-a-term day pupil.

Fiona had four counselling sessions with a community psychiatric nurse after her mother took her to the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services team (CAMHS) in Taunton.

In a statement, Fiona's parents said they believed the treatment she received had been "inadequate".

Dr Chris Mortimore, medical director of the NHS Foundation Trust which treated Fiona, said the coroner had not made any criticisms of the staff that saw her.

The headmaster of King's College Richard Biggs said that he did not believe there was a there was problem with bullying at the school:

He also said he regretted not alerted Fiona's parents after she wrote an English exam essay about eating disorders and self-loathing, but said there were good reasons for not doing so.

He said that staff believed Fiona was still receiving treatment with the community health team and said eating disorders were a common topic at that time due to the film The Black Swan.

After the inquest, Mrs Geraghty read a statement on behalf of her family:

Read the full story on ITV West.