Semina Halliwell from Southport, Merseyside, was relentlessly targeted by bullies, and even physically assaulted in clips shared online, after accusing an older boy of sexually assaulting her
A heartbroken mother has told how cruel trolls were mocking her bullied daughter just an hour after she took her own life.
Semina Halliwell was just 12 years old when she was found seriously ill in her mother’s bedroom at their home in Southport, Merseyside. Staff put her into a medically-induced coma, but she couldn’t be saved and passed away three days later.
On the same day she was discovered in the bedroom, Semina had posted on social media: “I may laugh and smile every day but I’m in so much pain.”
Her mother Rachell Halliwell told an inquest, which concluded yesterday, about the rapid deterioration of her “bright and bubbly” daughter as she was driven into a “depressed and withdrawn” state. In her conclusion, coroner Johanna Thompson said Semina was an “exceptionally vulnerable” child who was “in a state of distress” in the lead up to her death in June 2021. She added that “her intent at that time is unknown”.
Semina’s mum Rachel holding her daughter
Speaking to the BBC, Rachel said her daughter loved to sing and dance, and had the same best friends since she was a toddler. Recalling happier times of Semina “singing and dancing on her phone”, she said she “would pretend to be on a show where she was the host”.
But Semina’s care-free attitude came to a grinding halt when Covid lockdown hit, and an older boy started contacting her through Snapchat. Rachel believes he was grooming her daughter. Later, Semina told her mother that she was sexually assaulted in the woods by a boy who had messaged her through the app, leaving her feeling “dirty”.
She took the case to the police and was told that due to the complexity, it would take 18 months. Since her death, the family has made 13 complaints against Merseyside Police for how they handled the case.
Semina Halliwell, from Southport
After the incident was reported, the inquest heard how a campaign of bullying was carried out against the “vulnerable” 12-year-old after she sent a naked photograph of herself to the boy. This was then circulated at school and online. There were also videos of Semina being attacked by a large group of girls.
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“She went downhill, she couldn’t cope,” Rachel said. “The bullying was horrendous. ‘The biggest slag in Year 7’ – that’s how she was referred to online.”
The coroner disagreed with the family’s suggestion that the police, her school, health trusts and Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council had breached their operational obligations.
“The evidence has not revealed to me any indication that a real and immediate risk to Semina’s life was known to any of the state agencies at any relevant point in time which would have made her death preventable,” the coroner said.
A police spokesperson told the BBC: “We would like to express our thoughts and condolences to Semina’s mum and family.”
A spokesperson for Snapchat said “our hearts go out to Semina’s family” and added that the company works “in multiple ways to try to prevent and take action on this type of behaviour.”
If you’re struggling and need to talk, the Samaritans operate a free helpline open 24/7 on 116 123.
