Teenager that died at a Children's home in Nottinghamshire monitored by MI5
16 year old Rhianan Rudd was being groomed by far right extremists
A pre-inquest hearing has found a teenager that died at a Children's home in Nottinghamshire was being monitored by MI5 in connection with terrorism offences.
A teenager believed to have taken her own life after she was groomed by far-right extremists and later arrested on suspicion of terror offences was being monitored by MI5, a pre-inquest hearing has been told.
Rhianan Rudd, 16, was found dead at a children's home on May 19 2022, around 18 months after she was detained for downloading a bomb-making manual online and accused of plotting a terrorist attack.
A statement from the security service was read to the pre-inquest review hearing into Rhianan's death at Chesterfield Coroner's Court confirming that MI5 "provided police with intelligence" during their criminal investigation.
The teenager, who had autism, was charged with various offences in April 2021 and was due to stand trial in March 2022, but charges were dropped after the Home Office ruled she was a victim of sexual exploitation by far-right extremists.
Edward Pleeth, counsel to the inquest, read the statement to the court which said: "MI5 confirms that they provided police with intelligence in the course of the police investigation.
"MI5 did not take the decision to arrest or charge, or the subsequent decision to discontinue prosecution."
Jesse Nicholls, representing Rhianan's mother, said: "Rhianan was a child who died in circumstances involving an exceptional period of state involvement leading up to her death.
"It appears it (MI5) was monitoring her, and getting information about what steps it then took is relevant and should be examined."
Neil Sheldon KC, representing the Home Office, including MI5, said in the hearing: "We accept you will be scrutinising sensitive material very carefully to see what if any information was known about the risk of self-harm or suicide and what if anything was done in respect of that information.
"We maintain that this is not a case in which it is necessary to assess the substance of the underlying intelligence collected by MI5."
Chief coroner Alexia Durran also heard that although MI5 "considers matters such as mental health" in its duties, the provision of "care and support is not part of its statutory functions or role".
Mr Sheldon continued: "There is also an important distinction between the obligation to protect individuals from a real and immediate threat to life and a general obligation to provide care and support."
The full inquest begins on February 26 next year and is expected to last three weeks.