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 at her flat in Brighton on New Year’s Day 2023 after she went missing from a friend’s party.
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 (March 19) 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 onto the NHS mental health services responsible for her care, the coroner's court in Horsham heard. But Ms. Nunn’s care coordinator 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.
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. “I think she found it quite intense, so the care package was reduced from five days a week to three,” Mr. McCullagh explained.
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.”
Mr. McCullagh replied, and arranged a visit to Ms. Nunn’s home that same day. During the visit, he noticed that Ms. Nunn was “quite withdrawn” and made “no eye contact,” and had wounds on her forearm due to self-harm. Despite this, she agreed to go to A&E at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton with Mr. McCullagh and her consultant psychiatrist at the Sussex Partnership Foundation Trust, Dr. Simon Baker. However, the inquest heard that Ms. Nunn was eventually left alone in the emergency room and walked out of the hospital before being seen by the mental health liaison team.
On December 30, Mr. McCullagh emailed Ms. Nunn’s psychologist Julia Lord from the Deaf Adult Community Team (DACT), which is part of South West London and St George’s NHS Trust. He expressed concern over Ms. Nunn, detailing their recent meetings. The inquest revealed that Ms. Nunn had met with 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.
Tragically, Ms. Nunn had actually ordered a lethal chemical substance online on November 14, which was delivered to her home address on November 21. In a conversation with her support worker at DACT on November 23, Ms. Nunn revealed that she had “bought something online that she planned to take to end her life.”
On reflecting about Ms. Nunn's situation, Mr. McCullagh stated: “It was tragic that that happened.” He acknowledged the past indications of risk, noting that while Ms. Nunn did mention ingesting poison previously, he believed existing discussions constrained the risk level perceived at that time.
In another part of the court proceedings, the coroner stated that how Ms. Nunn obtained the poison would not form part of the inquest, as there is an ongoing police investigation into the supplier. Reports have tied a Canadian figure to multiple suicides in the UK, heightening the attention to how vulnerable individuals gain access to such life-ending substances.
The latest developments in the ongoing investigation and inquest add to the growing discussion surrounding mental health, accessibility to help, and preventative measures within the NHS, particularly for vulnerable individuals like Ms. Nunn. The court proceedings continue.
