Schoolgirl accused of terror found intervention session ‘triggering'

Independent

12-03-2025

An autistic schoolgirl who was exploited by a neo-Nazi and charged with terror offences found her first intervention session 'triggering' but there were 'no concerns' she would end her life days before her death, her inquest has heard.
Rhianan Rudd, 16, 'could not get enough' of learning about German history before she was radicalised and later investigated by MI5 and charged for downloading a bomb-making manual and saying she wanted to blow up a synagogue, the court was told.
The teenager, who had a history of self-harm, was found with a ligature around her neck on May 19 2022 at a children's home in Nottinghamshire, five months after her charges were dropped when it emerged she had been groomed by an American far-right extremist.
Chesterfield Coroner's Court was told Rhianan had six sessions between March 4 2022 and her death with an intervention provider working on behalf of Prevent, a deradicalisation programme, who cannot be named and was referred to as Witness X in court.
Witness X gave evidence from behind a screen on Wednesday and agreed that Rhianan spoke with an American accent during their first session, which she developed from talking to the neo-Nazi, and said she 'lost her sanity' the day she 'entered the Telegram cesspit'.
Counsel to the inquest Edward Pleeth told the court it was recorded that Rhianan was 'shaking' after this session.
Mr Pleeth said it was noted that: 'It was triggering for her and brought out a lot of emotions and thoughts she had put away. She said she did not like what was discussed in the session.'
The court was told Rhianan did not like talking about terrorism because it was 'PTSD inducing' and she 'locked away her thoughts and feelings about the (criminal) trial'.
In their second session, the inquest heard Rhianan said she felt she 'had over-spoken which was triggering' and added: 'I'm not radicalised, I don't give two shits about anything to do with that subject.'
In later sessions, Witness X recorded that Rhianan said she was not triggered by the intervention sessions, she 'enjoyed' them, and spoke about her future, the inquest heard.
The witness agreed she had 'no concerns' from their final session on May 16, three days before Rhianan's death, that she would end her life.
She agreed 'there was nothing from this session that stood out' and 'no dialogue or behaviour (she) considered to be alarming or worrying'.
Rhianan had told Witness X she was 'hyper-aware' of far-right extremism and drew a timeline of her radicalisation in one of their sessions, chief coroner Judge Alexia Durran heard.
The court was shown a picture of Rhianan's drawing including a German scientist character from the game TF2.
In another session, the teenager told Witness X she had a 'three-day schizoid, was rocking back and forth' and when asked what that meant, Rhianan said she was 'fanatic', the inquest heard.
The court was told Rhianan had not been receiving Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) support while completing the Prevent sessions.
The inquest was told emails were exchanged between April 19 and 21 raising concerns that Rhianan's mental health had 'deteriorated' because she had been wearing camouflage around the residential home and wanted to visit London to get a visa so she could travel to Texas.
Witness X told the inquest: 'I was not aware of her wanting to travel to Texas, I was made aware about her wearing camouflage clothing.'
The inquest heard Rhianan told Witness X she had worn her camouflage clothing because all her clothes were in the wash.
Rhianan also told the case worker that the last time she had had contact with the American extremist, he told her he 'loved her' and she 'felt a gaping hole and very sad for a long time'.
The inquest continues.