Only gave her Panadol: husband denies giving drugs before woman’s apparent 2010 suicide

A convicted fraudster has denied giving drugs to his wife before she apparently died by suicide, or that he’d downplayed their “dire financial situation” to police. Inquest latest >>

A Hobart inquest is examining whether palliative care nurse Helen Bird really did die by suicide in 2010.

The “dire financial situation” a Hobart family suffered has been laid bare before an inquest into a mother and wife’s apparent suicide.

Palliative care nurse Helen Bird, 43, was found deceased at her Blackmans Bay home on July 8, 2010.

Now, 13 years later, an inquest is examining whether she did in fact die by suicide as long held, or whether her husband – convicted fraudster Mark Gordon Bird – had any involvement.

Mr Bird spent two years in jail from 2020 after setting fire to the home his wife died in during 2012 to make a fraudulent insurance claim, then setting fire to a subsequent family home at Geeveston in 2017 for the same reason.

On Thursday, counsel assisting the coroner, Letitia Fox, said in the months leading up to Mrs Bird’s death, the couple had credit card debts, depleted savings accounts, and sometimes struggled to pay their children’s private school fees.

But Mr Bird denied, under questioning from Ms Fox, that he’d deliberately downplayed the seriousness of their situation after his wife’s death, while being questioned by police.

Ms Fox said Mr Bird came into financial strife again in 2012, after his wife had died, and had admitted he was “very extravagant” in his spending – spending more money than was coming in.

Mr Bird admitted he had been struggling, had bought a caravan, and had bought a car for his girlfriend as well as helped with her rent.

Ms Fox also grilled Mr Bird over his claims of what happened in the days leading up to his wife’s death.

She suggested that even though he made a doctor’s appointment for Mrs Bird on the day before her death, he never told her about it – a claim he denied.

Mr Bird, who was taking opiates and sedatives at the time, also denied he’d given his wife any drugs before she died – with or without her knowledge – adding he’d only given her Panadol.

Ms Fox said Mr Bird hadn’t mentioned concerns over his wife’s mental health or depression in a number of conversations before and after her death – including the doctor’s, her employer, a neighbour, friends and police officers.

Detective Senior Constable Nicolette Munro previously told the inquest that Mr Bird had become a “person of interest” in his wife’s death while she was investigating one of the fires, and started “filling the gaps”.

She prepared a file for the coroner once she had enough evidence to reopen the case.

The inquest was scheduled to wrap up this week, but will resume on January 2, when Mr Bird will be re-examined by his current partner Sarah Battams, who is acting in lieu of legal representation.

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