POLICE officers laughed when Gaia Pope’s aunt phoned a number of times to find out when her niece’s scheduled appointment was on the day she went missing, an inquest heard.

An officer said “I have no idea what she’s on about” and thought Talia Pope was “taking the p***” when she tried to find out details of a scheduled appointment at Wareham Police Station for her niece to report receiving illicit images online.

Gaia Pope was found in undergrowth on a clifftop in Swanage 11 days after she went missing on November 7, 2017.

Bournemouth Echo:

READ MORE: Dorset Police search 'didn't make sense'

Calls made by Gaia Pope to Dorset Police and by Gaia Pope’s aunt Talia were played to the jury at the 19-year-old’s inquest at Bournemouth Town Hall.

They came after Gaia Pope had been sent nude pictures by a man on Facebook and Talia Pope told the jury she took responsibility in getting her niece to the scheduled appointment at Wareham Police Station on November 7.

Talia Pope said she wanted to ascertain what time the interview was and who they would be meeting to make sure it was going ahead and to ease her niece’s anxieties.

However, when she phoned police in the morning, an officer at Wareham Police Station, told the control room call handler “I have no idea what you are on about”.

A second officer at Wareham Police Station then said she couldn’t find Gaia Pope in the system but was actually searching for “Gaia Hope”.

The officers eventually managed to find the log, and believing it was to do with the alleged rape Gaia Pope reported in 2015, they said it would be a matter for Weymouth CID.

The officer dealing with the case was finally found and Talia Pope was told she’d call her later in the day.

Talia Pope phoned again at 11.30am, and the call handler could be heard laughing with the officer at Wareham Police Station.

The Wareham officer said: “This is the fourth time I’ve spoken to her today I have no idea what she’s on about.”

A fifth call was made, to which the Wareham officer said: “This is the fifth call I’ve had. The last call ended with them talking absolute rubbish.

“I have no idea who they are, what they are on about and they started calling me a drag queen, so I decided at that point to hang up.

“I’ve asked control not to put any more calls through because I think they are taking the p***, to be honest.”

Bournemouth Echo:

Talia Pope told the hearing she was “perplexed” there was no record of her calls in the days leading up to November 7 to ascertain who would be conducting the interview.

“I think I made more than one call on November 6 trying to get these extra details.

“I didn’t get a name. The most frustrating thing about it was it didn’t feel like there had been any notes made or any log made and that was perplexing to me.”

Gaia Pope went missing around 4pm on November 7, 2017, and never attended the meeting.

The inquest continues.