Meath teenager Julie Crowe, from Dunshaughlin, took her own life months after she was drugged and raped while on holiday in Greece

Julie Crowe (18), of Porterstown Lane, Dunshaughlin, Co Meath, died on November 4, 2019.

A sitting of the Dublin District Coroner’s Court on Thursday heard that Julie had developed a low mood and thoughts of self-harm after taking drugs and being raped during a holiday abroad with friends in August 2019.

Investigators were also told that gardaí had received no further feedback on the progress of the criminal investigation in Greece, despite Julie making several inquiries after submitting a statement to her Greek counterparts via Interpol.

Julie’s father, Gary Crowe, told the inquest he decided to work from home on the morning of November 4, 2019 because his daughter wasn’t sleeping.

Mr Crowe recalled that she was dazed and appeared “very subdued and very distant” when he woke her at around 12.20pm.

He said she apologized for the cost of a trip to the United States from which they had recently returned.

Mr Crowe said he hugged his daughter to try to bring her “out of her daze”.

As Julie went to shower, Mr Crowe said he noticed a note on her bed which he thought was part of a diary.

When he checked on her at around 2.15pm, Mr Crowe said he could not find his daughter anywhere in the house, before calling his wife and expressing his concern that Julie had run away.

At this point he remembered the note and upon reading it realized that it contained a reference to Rathbeggan Lakes.

When he arrived at the flyover, Mr Crowe said he saw traffic passing on the motorway before he saw his daughter lying on the ground.

After noticing that her eyes were “glassy,” he began CPR before others arrived and assisted in her attempt at resuscitation.

Garda Jeffrey Moroney said CCTV footage of the bridge had corroborated the evidence provided by eyewitnesses and the investigation into the case was complete.

Julie’s mother, Anna Crowe, gave evidence to gardaí at Connolly Hospital Blanchardstown (CHB) that she had officially identified her daughter’s body.

The inquest heard that the family were informed by medical staff at 3.50pm that Julie had suffered catastrophic injuries that she would not survive and that she was pronounced dead nine minutes later.

In January 2020, Ms Crowe spoke about her daughter’s death on RTÉ’s Liveline program to warn others that there were predators targeting little boys and girls.

She described how Julie learned through conversations with friends that she had been raped while on the Greek island of Zakynthos.

Omer Chaudhary, a psychiatrist who examined Julie at the CHB emergency room on October 21, 2019, said he diagnosed her with post-traumatic stress disorder and a moderate depressive episode.

dr Chaudhary said Julie also came out as gay to her friends and family in June 2019 after returning from her vacation in Greece.

He recalled that the teenager complained that he had not been able to cope with things over the past two weeks and had increasingly suffered from nightmares.

However, Dr. Chaudhary, she did not show any active intent or intent to kill herself.

The psychiatrist said she was positive about her family and her studies at Technological University Dublin.

The inquest found that Julie refused to be voluntarily admitted to hospital and that she did not meet the criteria for involuntary detention as she was at low to moderate risk of self-harm.

dr Chaudhary said the teenager eventually decided to see her GP to discuss taking antidepressants and get a referral to the local child and adolescent mental health unit.

Ms Crowe said Julie visited her GP the next day, who warned her that she needed to be closely monitored while taking the medication.

She also revealed that her daughter feared she might be pregnant as a result of the rape, but investigations showed this was not the case.

Detective Garda Michelle O’Brien told the inquest she spent two “long and difficult” days obtaining a very detailed statement from the teenager about events in Greece.

Det Garda O’Brien said she also kept the girl’s towel and runners as evidence.

In response to questions from coroner Aisling Gannon, she said she had not received any updates on the status of the Greek police investigation despite repeated requests.

Det Garda O’Brien said she was unable to contact her Greek colleagues directly.

She also stated that she would not be able to interview Julie’s friends, who might also provide evidence, unless she received instructions from the Greek authorities.

At the end of the evidence, the Crowe family called for greater clarity about the ability of gardaí to support and review the progress of police investigations abroad.

They also recommended that organizations working with victims of sexual assault should work with parents who advocate for their raped children, regardless of their age. She had been told because Julie was over 18 and had to contact them herself.

The coroner said she would communicate the family’s concerns to the relevant authorities and keep them informed of any response.

Ms Gannon ruled based on the evidence that she died by suicide.

The coroner expressed her condolences to the Crowe family, saying it was “a very, very tragic case in very sad circumstances”.

If you are affected by any of the issues in this article, call Childline on freephone 1800 66 66 66 or text 50101 or call the Rape Crisis Center on freephone 1800 77 88 88. Call Samaritans (free) on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.ie or call Pieta House on 1800 247 247