A senior coroner has criticised mental health services for failing to manage the suicide risk of deaf TikTok personality Imogen Nunn, who died aged 25 after ingesting a toxic substance she purchased online. The inquest, held at West Sussex Coroner’s Court, heard that Ms Nunn—who had documented her mental health struggles and deaf identity to over 780,000 social media followers—had disclosed to professionals that she had bought chemicals with the intent of taking her own life. Despite this, no adequate safeguarding measures or timely face-to-face assessments were implemented.
Coroner Penelope Schofield cited a failure to update Ms Nunn’s care plan following a previous suicide attempt and noted the absence of an in-person risk assessment on 30 December 2022, two days before her death. The case also shed light on a national shortage of British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters, a longstanding barrier affecting communication and care for deaf individuals in crisis. Ms Schofield remarked that this issue not only hindered proper mental health support but may also represent a broader human rights concern.
Evidence presented at the inquest revealed that Ms Nunn had informed a support worker about purchasing the chemical and her intentions weeks before her death. While police were notified and did visit her home, her care plan remained unchanged. On 29 December, she texted her therapist expressing suicidal thoughts and asking for hospital admission, but no interpreter was present during a subsequent welfare check due to short notice.
++ These birds help humans find honey
The coroner has announced plans to write to multiple government departments, including Health and Education, to address these systemic issues. She also commissioned a second “prevention of future deaths” report and acknowledged potential breaches of Article Two of the Human Rights Act. Expressing gratitude to Ms Nunn’s family for their composure during the proceedings, she concluded, “Hopefully some good will come out of this.” Ms Nunn’s mother, Louise, described her daughter as “our rainbow”, whose presence made others feel “special” and whose heart “was filled only with love.”
