TikTok star assessed as 'high risk', inquest told

Hsin-Yi Lo
BBC News, South East
Family handout A woman with pink hair, glasses and a pink flannel shirt.Family handout
Imogen Nunn was a TikTok influencer who posted videos about mental health and being deaf

A TikTok star who died after taking a poisonous substance she ordered online was assessed as being "high risk" two days before her death, an inquest has heard.

Imogen Nunn, who died at her Brighton flat on New Year's Day in 2023, had struggled with her mental health from the age of 14.

The 25-year-old, known as Immy, posted videos about mental health and being deaf on her TikTok account, which had almost 780,000 followers.

An inquest into her death at West Sussex Coroner's Court on Wednesday heard that her care co-coordinator, Ray McCullagh, said she had "mentioned ingesting poison in the past".

Warning: Contains distressing content

The inquest heard that Ms Nunn told her psychologist on 30 December 2022 that she expressed "strong thoughts of taking her own life by drinking poison".

Following the meeting, her psychologist described her as "high risk", and Ms Nunn agreed to go to a mental health facility.

The inquest heard Mr McCullagh, who then worked at Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, did not meet her and her admission never took place.

Family handout A girl with red hair, nose ring and a rainbow-coloured shirt.Family handout
Ms Nunn's family previously described her as "kind" and "caring"

Mr McCullagh said he attended a care package review with Ms Nunn on 13 December 2022 and said she requested the support to be reduced.

The inquest heard that Ms Nunn sent Mr McCullagh a text message on 29 December asking to be admitted to a ward with sign language.

It said: "I'm losing the plot. I've tried the second resort and it didn't work. I know I can easily go into the last resort and I don't want to."

Mr McCullagh told the coroner he was unsure what "second resort" meant.

He arranged a home visit on 29 December and noticed she had self-harm wounds on her forearm.

The inquest heard Ms Nunn agreed to go to A&E at Royal Sussex County Hospital with Mr McCullagh and her consultant psychiatrist, Dr Simon Baker.

Mr McCullagh said he stayed in A&E with Ms Nunn and spoke to the hospital's mental health team.

The inquest heard Ms Nunn walked out of hospital before being seen by staff.

The following day, Mr McCullagh emailed Ms Nunn's psychologist Julia Lord from the Deaf Adult Community Team (DACT).

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 take her own life" by drinking poison, but she denied possessing any chemicals at the time.

Additional reporting by PA Media.

  • If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story you can visit BBC Action Line.

Follow BBC Sussex on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected] or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.