Zara McDermott hopes Gaia Pope-Sutherland film will prompt ‘big conversations’
Ms Pope-Sutherland died in 2017 after reporting she had been drugged and sexually attacked by a man when she was 16.
Zara McDermott wants her latest documentary about the death of Gaia Pope-Sutherland to be added to her portfolio of films that bring about “bigger conversations” for young people within families and schools.
The TV presenter, 26, said she was “incredibly proud” of her upcoming three-part BBC Three series Gaia: A Death On Dancing Ledge.
It aims to shed a light on the circumstances surrounding the death of the 19-year-old who ran away from home while experiencing a mental health crisis in 2017, after reporting she had been drugged and sexually attacked by a man when she was 16.
Ms Pope-Sutherland died after suffering hypothermia and was found in undergrowth between Dancing Ledge and Anvil Point along the Dorset coastline 11 days after she went missing.
At the time of her disappearance, she was anxious about the accused rapist’s imminent release from prison where he was serving time for other sexual offences.
McDermott’s “raw and candid” film explores the series of events that led to Ms Pope-Sutherland’s death, including “oversight” from officials involved in her care, as well as highlighting the families’ search for truth and justice.
