Teenage terror suspect in ‘good mood’ day before death, inquest told
Rhianan Rudd, 16, died at a children’s home five months after her terror charges were dropped.
An autistic girl who became a terror suspect and was investigated by MI5 after she was groomed by a far-right extremist was in a “good mood” and spoke about her future the day before her suspected suicide, an inquest has heard.
Rhianan Rudd, aged 16, was found with a ligature around her neck at Bluebell House Residential Home in Nottinghamshire on May 19 2022, five months after her terror charges were dropped and she was considered a victim of exploitation.
The inquest heard the teenager self-harmed six times between April and August 2021 while living at the home, which she had been moved to after she was charged for downloading a bomb-making manual and saying she wanted to blow up a synagogue.
On Monday, Chesterfield Coroner’s Court heard evidence from Leigh Cutts, the manager of Bluebell House, who said there was “nothing” to indicate that Rhianan would take her own life.
Edward Pleeth, counsel to the inquest, told the court that Rhianan had sat an English GCSE exam the day before her death and it was recorded she came downstairs to make breakfast in a “positive mood” that morning before she was given a pep talk by the children’s home staff.
The inquest heard that throughout that day Rhianan’s mood was recorded as “good” and she spoke about “career paths she wanted to do and her upcoming GCSE exams” while on a walk with a staff member.
At 11pm that evening, it was recorded that Rhianan was in her bedroom and there were “no concerns” about her, the inquest was told.
Ms Cutts said that when she came into work the next morning there was an issue with the water pressure at the home so she contacted maintenance and looked around for a burst pipe before checking Rhianan’s room.
She said she could hear running water coming from the teenager’s en-suite and went into her room before performing CPR until paramedics arrived.
Mr Pleeth said: “Rhianan seemed positive in the lead up to the 18th and 19th of May. She had secured her apprenticeship in horse care, spoke of her future plans, she had spoken about visiting Japan and…becoming a jockey.”
Ms Cutts said there was “never” anything to raise concerns Rhianan might use a ligature and that ligature cutters were available to the staff at the home.
The inquest heard that leading up to her death, Rhianan had been allowed more unsupervised access to her mobile phone.
In April 2022, the month before she died, Ms Cutts raised concerns that Rhianan said someone commented a “bin emoji” on her Instagram post about her furry costume which she found “triggering”, and afterwards had worn a camouflage outfit with a German flag on her arm.
Ms Cutts said: “I think she was feeling quite confused and conflicted off the back of the Instagram posts, that’s why she put the camouflage on.
“It was really important to break down why she was feeling like that. We found out it was because she was worried about her old Telegram account she wanted to close down.”
The inquest was told that Rhianan was worried the Telegram account had content that would “incriminate” her but she was reassured that Counter Terrorism Policing would not reopen the investigation.
Rhianan had been expected to go on trial in March 2022 before the charges were dropped in December the year before.
Ms Cutts told the inquest that Rhianan was “quite withdrawn” and “very quiet” when she first arrived at the home and added: “She became quite upset in her bedroom initially.”
The inquest heard Rhianan had been “hesitant and apprehensive about living in such a diverse home” but later “expressed a desire to live here until she is 18”.
The court heard that during a visit by Derbyshire County Council, which Rhianan was in the care of as a looked-after child before her death, it was recorded that she was “making excellent progress” and “said she is happy and feels safe” at the home.
Mr Pleeth told the inquest Ms Cutts was aware that Rhianan was “vulnerable to radicalisation and potentially subject to sexual abuse from a very young age”.
Rhianan was under one-to-one supervision in the home and every hour it was recorded what she was doing and whether there were any concerns about her, the inquest heard.
In July 2021, three months after Rhianan moved to Bluebell House, it was noted that she was “becoming a better person every day”.
The inquest continues.
