'Missed opportunities' to prevent death of Bolsover teenager Rhianan Rudd
The 16 year old died in a children's home in May 2022 - having become one of the youngest people ever charged with terrorism offences
Last updated 10th Jun 2025
A coroner in the inquest of an exploited teenage girl from Bolsover who died five months after her terrorism charges were dropped said she is satisfied the missed opportunities in her case were "not systemic".
Concluding the inquest of Rhianan Rudd, who died at a children's home aged 16 in May 2022, chief coroner Judge Alexia Durran said: "In the circumstances I do not consider I should make a prevention of future deaths report.
"I'm not satisfied, on the balance of probabilities, Rhianan intended to take her own life. Rhianan's death... was the result of a self-inflicted act but it is not possible to ascertain her intention.
"Rhianan was known, to family and professionals, to be vulnerable, to have autistic traits and have a history of self-harm."
The coroner added: "I find she was highly affected by her arrest and was concerned about being sent to prison."
It was not known what Rhianan was told by her legal team when the charges were dropped but this may have had a "psychological impact" on her, the coroner said.
Rhianan’s mother Emily Carter said:
“My beautiful daughter Rhianan was loving, kind-hearted and clever. She loved nothing more than to laugh – and brought so much joy to our family and those around her.
“Losing Rhianan as we did was the most painful and traumatic experience any family could have to go through. 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.
“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.”