An inquest into the death of a 12-year-old girl who said she was raped by an older boy has found none of the authorities who had contact with her could have prevented her death.
Semina Halliwell, of Southport, died at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in June 2021, three days after taking an overdose of prescription medication.
Her mother, Rachel Halliwell, told the inquest last month that Semina “felt like she wasn’t believed” after making an allegation of sexual assault to police, and at the conclusion of the inquest she said she felt her daughter had been “betrayed” by the agencies that were supposed to help her.
The assistant coroner for Sefton, Johanna Thompson, concluded Semina had died “while in a state of distress and her intention at that time is unknown”.
The coroner had earlier said that a conclusion of suicide was not possible in this case.
Ms Thompson said Semina had a “complex social history” and was “highly vulnerable”.
However, she said she did not agree with submissions from the family that Merseyside Police, Semina’s school, health trusts and Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council had breached their operational duties to her.
She added: “The evidence has not revealed a real and immediate risk to Semina’s life known to the state agencies which would have made her death preventable by the state.”
‘Destroyed her’
The inquest, which was held at Bootle Town Hall for six days last month, heard that Semina had told her mother in March 2021 she had been sexually assaulted by an older boy in January that year.
The boy had been messaging her online since the previous summer, the hearing was told.
Ms Halliwell said the incident “destroyed” her daughter, who had been self-harming in the year before her death.
She reported the allegation to police, but said that when officers came to speak to Semina she “felt like she wasn’t believed”.
Ms Halliwell said: “I think to say to a 12-year-old child ‘it is going to take 18 months to two years to go to court, do you really want it hanging over your head?’ and ‘it’s your word against his’ is not what any woman or child who has been through sexual assault or rape needs to hear and she was 12 with autism.”
She told the inquest she believed Semina would still be alive if there had been more support.
Semina initially withdrew her complaint but later decided to pursue it and was due to have a video interview on 10 June, the court heard.
The inquest was told police officers had visited her home on 8 June regarding a separate complaint and Semina had gone upstairs after saying: “I’ve had enough of this.”
She was later found and taken to hospital.
Det Con Chris Loughead told the inquest Semina’s allegation of sexual assault had been taken “very seriously” by Merseyside Police.
‘Pain continues’
After the inquest, Ms Halliwel said she was feeling an “enormous dissatisfaction that failures by the agencies involved in Semina’s care have not been acknowledged”.
She added: “What I wanted to hear was a finding of the failures that I see in all of the agencies’ interactions with Semina, and recommendations and improvements being made so that further tragedies cannot be allowed to happen in the future.
“My pain continues as I believe that Semina was betrayed by those responsible to help protect her and I hope for some acknowledgement of this for me and my family and because personally I will never stop believing that this was the case.
“I believe it was as a consequence of these agencies’ failures that my precious daughter is no longer with me.”
Additional reporting by PA Media.
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