Some important documents from MI5, the UK’s security service, linked to a teenager charged with terrorism and who later died, are being kept from her inquest. However, officials say this is “not a cause for concern.”
Rhianan Rudd, just 16 years old, was found dead at a children’s home in Nottinghamshire on May 19, 2022. She had been charged with terrorism for downloading a bomb-making guide online and was believed to be planning a terrorist act.
The police started looking into Rhianan in September 2020 after her mother, Emily Carter, expressed concerns about her and referred her to a help program called Prevent. During their investigation, MI5 watched Rhianan and shared information with the police.
Rhianan had autism and was supposed to go to trial in March 2022, but the charges were dropped five months before her passing. The Home Office decided she had been exploited by a dangerous American online.
At a recent court hearing, Judge Alexia Durran heard from Rhianan’s family lawyer, Jesse Nicholls, who said they haven’t seen some important documents kept by MI5 and can’t tell how relevant they are to the case. He expressed worry that important information might be missing because it wasn’t shown to the family.
Neil Sheldon KC, representing the Home Office and MI5, said there were no concerns about keeping this information secret and that the decision came after careful investigation. He assured the family that the open information shared with them was complete.
The judge also decided to keep the name of a senior MI5 officer involved in Rhianan’s case private for safety reasons. The full inquest will start on February 27 at Chesterfield Coroner’s Court and is expected to last for three weeks.
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