Autistic Bolsover teen died from “self-inflicted” wound amid fears dropped terror charges may be reinstated, inquest hears

Rhianan Rudd was found dead at Nottinghamshire children’s home Bluebell House, located in New Ollerton, aged just 16 on May 18, 2022. At the age of 14 the teenager had developed an obsession with right-wing extremism, becoming obsessed with Hitler and downloading information on bomb making.

In September 2020 her mother referred her to government de-radicalisation scheme Prevent. Rhianan was arrested by counter-terror detectives a month later and bailed as a terrorism suspect. She was also placed into care.

During police interviews she described being coerced and sexually groomed online by a prominent American neo-Nazi called Chris Cook – information that eventually led the Government to conclude she had been exploited and charges were dropped in December 2021. However she took her own life five months later.

An inquest at Chesterfield Town Hall heard when Rhianan was told the charges had been dropped she appeared “manic” and was worried they may be reinstated if further information came to light.

In May 2022 she brought up the prosecution frequently, the court heard, showing she had not “processed” the events. Coroner Alexia Durran said today (Monday): “I find she was highly-affected by her arrest and was concerned about being sent to prison.”

It was not known what Rhianan had been told by her legal team when the charges were dropped, said the coroner. However the court heard she had “concerns” about police reinvestigating in May 2022 – making enquiries about having an old Telegram account deleted.

Ms Durran said: “It’s not possible to say this played a part in her decision making on the evening of May 18, 2022. It’s likely however the arrest and charges might have had a psychological impact.”

In a statement released after the conclusion of the inquest today Rhianan’s mother Emily Carter described losing Rhianan as “the most painful and traumatic experience any family could have to go through”.

She said: “To hear at her inquest today that she was let down by the police, the Prevent anti-terror programme, Derbyshire County Council and the mental health bodies only increases our anguish.”

During the inquest it was heard right-wing extremist Chris Cook had coerced Rhianan into sending him explicit images, threatening to “leave her” if she did not comply. A psychological report found that, taking into account Rhianan’s neurodiversity, the loss of contact with Cook would have hurt her “deeply” and subsequent expressions of interest in the far-right could have been attempts to regain that contact.

At the conclusion of the inquest into her death today coroner Alexia Durran said the 16-year-old had been described by her mother as a “little giggler” and “kind” and would “shared a sandwich with a homeless person”.

The inquest heard she was “creative”, enjoying anime drawings and cartoons, had a “deep” love for animals and wanted to be a jockey. She also Loved Frank Sinatra and other music from the 1950s and 1960s.

She was said to have a “lively and expressive” personality, while staff at Bluebell House Children’s Home, Nottinghamshire, where she lived at the time of her death, described her as “warm and fun”.

Rhiannan was the youngest of four children. Her family had been known to Derbyshire County Council since 2014 and the teen had, the inquest heard, witnessed domestic violence as a child before fleeing her Essex home with her mother Emily Carter and her siblings.

In August 2016 Ms Carter visited the US to meet former prison convict and white supremacist Dax Malaburn. In November 2017 Malaburn came and lived with the family in Derbyshire and was subsequently risk-assessed by DCC. Malaburn, a member of a neo-Nazi group was, said coroner Ms Durran, a “significant radicalisation influence” on Rhianan.

In September 2020 Rhianan’s mother Ms Carter referred her daughter to police as she was “fixated” with Hitler and classed herself as a “fascist”. During a meeting with deradicalisation organisation Prevent Rhianan spoke of wanting to “blow up a synagogue”, “slit people’s throats” and had downloaded pipe bomb instructions.

Rhianan was charged and bailed with terrorism offences in April 2021 and the Prevent case was later closed – leaving her with no support during the 13 months that the investigation continued, which may have “helped deradicalise her”, noted Ms Durran.

Speaking about the impact of the prosecution on Rhianan, Ms Durran said self-harm episodes in April 2021 were attributed by her social worker to the pressure of court proceedings after having been bailed.

In May 2021 the worker said the self-harm episodes were part of a superficial pattern after having to relive life experiences during court hearings which caused “anxiety”.

The inquest was told several opportunities were missed to have Rhianan referred for support from various agencies. She had no support from Nottinghamshire Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services until May 2022, having been living in a children’s home in the county for over a year.

Although Rhianan had previously been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) there had been a “multi-agency failure” to provide specialised ASD support on the part of Chesterfield Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service and DCC.

Although there was evidence of exploitation during multi-disciplinary meetings no referral was made to modern slavery and human trafficking organisation the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) until April 2021 – deemed too late by Ms Durran.

The inquest heard that in the United States the FBI had shared information with MI5 that extremist Chris Cook’s phone showed he and Rhianan had been in touch on WhatsApp, discussing right-wing ideology and Cook had said she needed to be “taught properly”.

While in January 2021 it emerged that a video showing Rhianan doing a sex act had been downloaded to Dax Malaburn’s phone.

Following a decision by NRM in relation to Rhianan’s case it was decided in December 2021 the criminal case against her case should be discontinued. However her diagnosis autism spectrum disorder also contributed to the decision, the inquest heard.

Identifying the late NRM referral as a result of “failure to provide training” on the part of part of Counter Terrorism Policing East Midlands (CTPEM) the coroner could not say how the NRM decision might have affected any decision regarding terror charges and the investigation.

While living at Bluebell House Rhianan self-harmed six times, however many of these attempts were assessed as “superficial”. She was deemed as “low risk” by her social worker however staff at the home had supported the teen “well” said Ms Durran describing the home’s manager as an “advocate” for her care.

Rhianan was found to have died by compression to the neck, however the coroner was “not satisfied” that the teen had intended to take her own life in the absence of a letter when she was found.

However Ms Durran said Rhianan had died by a self-inflicted wound. Concluding the hearing, she ordered no prevention of future deaths report as changes had already been made by all parties concerned and failings had not been “systemic”.

Appearing on the steps outside Chesterfield Coroners Court today Rhianan’s mother Emily Carter appeared with the family’s legal team as a statement was read out on her behalf.

She said: “Rhianan’s young age, autism and other vulnerabilities made her an easy target for those who sought to groom and exploit her for their own ends. These people filled her head with ideas that were not her own and caused her to act in ways which would never otherwise have occurred to her.

"After I raised concerns about her behaviour to the authorities, instead of being treated as a highly vulnerable victim of exploitation, Rhianan was treated as a terror suspect and a criminal.

“The chief coroner has found that Rhianan was denied access to services which should have supported and protected her and, I believe, could have saved her life. Looking at the number of missed opportunities recognised by the coroner, it’s hard to see how they cannot have had an impact on Rhianan’s state of mind.

“I believe there were many people in positions of authority who could and should have realised mistakes were being made in the way Rhianan was treated and that opportunities to support her were being missed. Throughout this time, I saw first-hand the impact these failings had on my daughter’s mental health in the period before she took her life.”

“Whilst nothing can ever bring Rhianan back, I urge all the authorities that came into contact with her to learn from what happened so that no other family has to experience the pain we have endured.

"If this truly happens, my hope is that positive change can come from this tragedy and can be a lasting legacy to my beautiful daughter Rhianan, who I will always love and cherish.”

The family’s solicitor Anna Moore said: “It is significant that the coroner has recognised there were a number of missed opportunities by several of the agencies which came into contact with Rhianan before her death, including Counter Terrorism Police, Prevent, Derbyshire County Council and a number of the mental bodies.

“These include the failure to refer Rhianan to the National Referral Mechanism to recognise her as a victim of exploitation at an earlier date; the failure to secure and provide her with adequate mental health support; and the impact of the change of focus of Prevent.

“Rhianan was described by some of those involved with her as the most vulnerable child they had ever come across; many of the agencies which dealt with her over a period of many months had legal obligations to safeguard her, and yet she was still let down.

“When Rhianan’s mother turned to the Prevent programme for help, she had no idea this is how things would end. Instead of being treated as a victim of grooming and exploitation Rhianan was criminalised. This in turn meant she was removed from her family home and further failings meant she was denied the specialist mental health support she so desperately needed.

“The Chief Coroner also found that Prevent officers failed to consider their impact on Rhianan, did not consult with other professionals, and the Prevent intervention immediately before Rhianan's death was not appropriate.

“This has been an exceptionally gruelling process for Rhianan’s family, who want to ensure that children who are victims of online grooming and exploitation are recognised as such and given the appropriate support, rather than being dragged through the criminal process.

“The findings today confirm that the key protections for a vulnerable child were denied to Rhianan. I sincerely hope lessons are learnt by all those involved so that no other family has to endure the trauma of losing a loved one in this way.”

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