A DOCTOR found dead in her bedroom had four empty packets' of anti depressants in her home, Dublin City Coroner's Court heard yesterday.
Dr Sandra Bourke (40), who was working at a medical practice in Finglas and had previously worked in various parts of Africa, was found by her brother in August last year, prior to a family wedding.
The coroner, Dr Brian Farrell, said that while he faced the possibility that Dr Bourke had taken an overdose, the evidence constrained him to record an open verdict into her death.
Mr Kenneth Bourke, the woman's brother, told the inquest he had returned from his home in Boston to attend a family wedding. On August 13th, 1996, he called to his sister's home at Ivy Cottages, Mount Pleasant Place, Ranelagh, but could get no reply. When he telephoned her and there was no answer, he called to a neighbour's house to get a spare key.
On entering the house, he found his sister lying fully clothed and face upwards on her bed. After composing himself, he called for an ambulance.
Ms Dorothy Ansell, the woman's niece, arrived at the house shortly afterwards and was told by Mr Bourke that she was dead. Ms Ansell said she had spoken with her two evenings before and Dr Bourke had told her she had been shopping with a family friend the previous day, prior to the wedding.
Garda John Kelly, of Rathmines station, said that on his arrival at the house he found one empty bottle of wine and a half empty bottle on a table.
There were also four empty strips of tablets, each of which had contained 14 pills. He was informed that the tablets were antidepressants.
The medical evidence indicated that Dr Bourke died as a result of cardio respiratory depression due to an overdose of drugs and that" she died some time during the previous day.