Teenager found dead in prison ‘seemed like a lost soul’, mother tells inquest – The Guardian

An 18-year-old girl was found dead in her prison cell after being remanded into custody after an incident in which she drank petrol and tried to set herself on fire, an inquest jury has heard.

Annelise Sanderson, who made her first suicide attempt aged just nine, “seemed like a lost soul” during her first time in an adult prison, her mother told an inquest.

The teenager was sentenced in June 2020 to 52 weeks in custody after she assaulted a paramedic who went to her aid when she tried to set herself on fire at a petrol station.

Six months later, on 22 December, she was found dead at HMP Styal only weeks before she was due to be released, Cheshire coroner’s court heard.

A safety plan was put in place for Sanderson three days into her custodial term when she was identified as at risk of suicide or self-harm when she was observed with a ligature in her cell.

The plan was closed eight days later for Sanderson, who had a “longstanding” history of suicide attempts that dated back to when she was aged nine, the court was told.

In a statement, Sanderson’s mother, Angela Gray, said she was worried” when she spoke to her in the first few days of her sentence.

She said: “She was depressed. She seemed like a lost soul. She said she didn’t know who she was, where she was or what she was doing there. She was scared.

“I was at the time, and remain, concerned that she went into prison at all without first receiving any proper mental health care treatment.

“It seems obvious to me that she was really unwell and I cannot see any other explanation for what she did, in particular at the petrol station.”

Sanderson, who grew up in Runcorn, was looking forward to coming home before Christmas but on 11 December had four weeks added to her sentence for an additional matter, she said.

Gray also stated she had raised a number of concerns about her daughter’s mental health to the closed prison.

She said her daughter was also severely affected by an ongoing family issue.

Sanderson appeared at Wigan magistrates court after she was arrested on 25 June for assaulting an emergency worker.

She was on licence at the time, having been released from Rainsbrook secure training centre earlier that year, the court heard.

Sanderson, who also had alcohol and drug issues, was recorded as displaying “bizarre behaviour” when she arrived on 26 June at HMP Styal, where Covid-19 restrictions were in place.

She made “inappropriate sexual remarks” to staff and tried to take her clothes off after dousing herself in water, the jury heard.

The hearing in Warrington is listed for five days.