Rhianan Rudd: ‘No indication’ groomed girl would take her life

A Home Office intervention provider has told an inquest a vulnerable teenage girl on an MI5 watchlist showed no signs of taking her own life three days before she did so.

The de-radicalisation case worker, named as Witness X, told Chesterfield Coroner’s Court she had meetings with Rhianan Rudd, 16, from Bolsover, Derbyshire, in the months before she died.

But she said she was not provided with a history of Rhianan’s mental health history including previous suicide attempts.

Witness X said during their meetings, Rhianan described how she had become radicalised by a far-right extremist after studying World War II at school.

Rhianan, who was autistic and had a history of self-harm, was arrested in October 2020 after downloading bomb-making guides and making verbal threats to “blow up a synagogue”.

She became the youngest girl to be charged with terror offences in April 2021, aged 15 and was remanded into a children’s home as part of her bail conditions.

She was placed on a MI5 watchlist and was a “subject of interest” up until her death.

The teenager, who Chesterfield Coroner’s Court heard was groomed and radicalised online by US-based far-right extremist Chris Cook, was found dead in a children’s home in Nottinghamshire on May 19 2022 – five months after the charges were dropped.

Rhianan’s mother Emily Carter had referred her daughter to the de-radicalisation programme Prevent in September 2020, but her participation ended when Rhianan was arrested a month later.

It started again March 2022 when her charges were dropped after a judge ruled she was a victim of exploitation and grooming.

Witness X said she first became aware of Rhianan after being sent a briefing note from Prevent after the terror charges were dropped.

In it, the Prevent officer described Rhianan as the “most vulnerable individual she’s ever met”.

Rhianan, in the six sessions she had with Witness X between 4 March 2022 and her death, spoke of raising money for the Red Cross by creating and selling furry costumes and had aspirations of becoming a professional horse jockey after completing an apprenticeship.

In the first meeting on 4 March, the teenager described herself as an “internet troll” but said she would not do “anything bad”.

She added she learned about messaging app Telegram but had “lost her sanity” after joining it, describing it as a “cesspit”.

Witness X also noted Rhianan spoke in an American accent and had developed this by speaking to 28-year-old Chris Cook online, who was from Ohio.

The witness said Rhianan seemed anxious at the start of the meeting but “seemed relaxed at the end”.

But Edward Pleeth, counsel for the inquest, read from an email from the children’s home that Rhianan was “visibly upset” and “shaky” following the first session and staff at the home said “it had not gone well”.

A multi-agency meeting decided the meetings should continue but with a focus on relationship building.

Witness X said in her notes in another meeting Rhianan could have been showcasing “disguised compliance”, with the teenager “telling me things I’d want to hear”.

The witness told the court she was formally considering psychosis after Rhianan spoke about “two minds in the same body”.

Jesse Nicholls, counsel for the family asked her: “Were you worried that something was going on with her mental state?”

Witness X confirmed she was.

The court heard in the days before a meeting on 27 April, Rhianan was “wearing army camouflage” around the home and expressed a desire to travel to Texas.

In the meeting, she said she had a “three-day schizoid” and had been “rocking backwards and forwards” in her room.

Rhianan also explained how she met Chris Cook on the online platform Discord who would send her extreme far-right material – including Holocaust denial.

The teenager said through the Covid lockdown, she had “lots of available time and had become drawn in”.

In her final meeting with Witness X on 16 May – three days before she died – Rhianan gave more insight into her radicalisation.

Notes from Witness X read to the court stated that Rhianan began learning about World War II at school before being told “this is what really happened” by her mother’s US partner, who she described as a “literal Nazi”.

The notes said Rhianan was sceptical about his theories but they were later “reinforced” when she started talking to Cook.

The court heard Rhianan had “enjoyed” the sessions and saw them as an “outlet to discuss things”.

Mr Pleeth asked Witness X about the final session: “Was there nothing from this session that concerned you and there was no dialogue or behaviour that was alarming or worrying?

Witness X said there was not.

Asked if there was concerns about self-harm or suicide, Witness X said Rhianan “seemed well in her mental state” and she had no concerns.

The inquest continues.