Deaf TikTok star assessed as ‘high risk' of suicide two days before death
A deaf TikTok star who died after ingesting a poison she ordered online was assessed as being at 'high risk' of suicide two days before her death, an inquest has heard.
Imogen Nunn took a poisonous substance and died in Brighton, East Sussex, on New Year's Day 2023.
The 25-year-old, who was born deaf, raised awareness of hearing and mental health issues on her social media accounts, which attracted more than 780,000 followers.
An inquest into her death heard on Wednesday that Ms Nunn had been described as being at 'high risk' of suicide following a meeting with her psychologist on December 30 2022, during which she expressed 'strong thoughts of killing herself by drinking poison'.
Ms Nunn had then agreed to go to a mental health crisis facility to 'keep herself safe', and the psychologist passed this information on to the NHS mental health services responsible for her care, West Sussex Coroner's Court heard.
But Ms Nunn's care co-ordinator Ray McCullagh, who then worked at Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, did not meet with her that day, and her admission never took place, the court heard.
Referring to her death, Mr McCullagh told the court: 'It was tragic that that happened.'
Turning to Ms Nunn's parents, Louise Sutherland and Ray Nunn, he added: 'I can't imagine what it was like for you guys.
'She was a really, really nice girl and over that period of time that I worked with her I felt that I had a good relationship with her.'
Mr McCullagh said he attended a care package review with Ms Nunn on December 13 2022 – three weeks before her death – during which it was agreed at Ms Nunn's request that the support provided would be reduced.
Mr McCullagh told Senior Coroner for West Sussex, Penelope Schofield: 'I think she found it quite intense, so the care package was reduced from five days a week to three.'
On December 29, Ms Nunn sent Mr McCullagh a text message in which she said: 'I'm sorry to bother you. I'm simply having the worst few months and I think I need to be admitted to a ward with sign language.'
The message added that she could 'no longer look after myself anymore. I'm losing the plot'.
'I don't know where I am and the places keep switching,' it continued.
'I've tried the second the resort and it didn't work and I know I can easily go into the last resort and I don't want to.'
Mr McCullagh said he was unsure what Ms Nunn meant by 'second resort', but told the coroner he responded to her message immediately and arranged a visit at her home address on December 29.
During that visit, Mr McCullagh noticed Ms Nunn was 'quite withdrawn' and made 'no eye contact', and had wounds on her forearm due to self-harm, the court heard.
Ms Nunn agreed to go to A&E at Royal Sussex County Hospital with Mr McCullagh and her consultant psychiatrist at the Sussex Partnership Foundation Trust, Dr Simon Baker.
Mr McCullagh said he stayed in A&E with Ms Nunn for about an hour and spoke to the hospital's mental health liaison team before he left.
The inquest heard Ms Nunn was eventually left alone in the emergency room, and walked out of hospital before being seen by the mental health liaison team.
The coroner asked Mr McCullagh: 'She wanted to go back to hospital on a deaf ward. Why was that not in consideration at that point?'
Mr McCullagh replied: 'It was in consideration.
'Obviously, we see she was in distress and I did discuss various options that could be available in terms of immediate support because there is usually a bit of a delay in getting someone admitted to hospital.'
Mr McCullagh told the court Ms Nunn had eventually 'changed her mind' and 'wanted to continue with the community support that was in place for her.'
He said: 'For me, if Imogen didn't engage with those support options, then I would have been very concerned.'
On December 30, Mr McCullagh emailed Ms Nunn's psychologist Julia Lord from the deaf adult community team (DACT), which is part of the South West London and St George's NHS Trust.
The inquest heard Ms Nunn met Ms Lord on the same day and told her she 'did not feel safe' and had 'a plan to kill herself' by drinking poison, though she denied having any chemicals in her possession at the time.
The court previously heard Ms Nunn had in fact ordered a lethal chemical substance online on November 14, which was delivered to her home address on November 21.
Mr McCullagh told the court: 'Julia was concerned, she felt that she was at high risk.
'Immy had expressed to Julia strong thoughts of killing herself by drinking chemicals.'
Asked by the coroner whether Ms Nunn had previously mentioned ingesting poison to Mr McCullagh, he replied: 'She had mentioned it in the past.
'It was a concern, for sure.
'But it was a specific thing that she couldn't have, or stated she didn't have, so that restrained the risk.'
The coroner heard on Monday that Ms Nunn had contacted her support worker at DACT on November 23 2022, and told them she had 'bought something online that she planned to take to end her life'.
The coroner told the court that how Ms Nunn obtained the poison would not form part of the inquest, due to an ongoing police investigation.
It comes as Canadian chef Kenneth Law is facing a murder trial in his home country for allegedly supplying poisonous chemicals to people around the world who have ended their lives.
He has been linked to dozens of suicides in the UK, according to the National Crime Agency.
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