Failures in care of girl, 18, who took own life at HMP Styal, inquest concludes

A troubled teenager who was found dead in her prison cell took her own life after 'failures' to ensure adequate communication between professionals regarding her care, a jury has concluded.

The body of Annelise Sanderson, 18, from Runcorn, was discovered in her cell at HMP Styal in Cheshire on December 22, 2020. She is the youngest person to die at the prison in the last 20 years. On Friday (January 19), an inquest into her death concluded there was a 'lack of communication and recording records' at the prison, including around Annelise's medication and incidents 'of concern'.

Jurors at Cheshire Coroners Court concluded her death was a 'deliberate act intended to end her own life' in what area coroner Victoria Davies called 'a tragic case of a young life of someone who was determined to stay out of prison forever when she got out'.

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Annelise was arrested after assaulting a paramedic who tried to intervene after she had been drinking petrol from a pump at a petrol station and threatening to set herself on fire, the court previously heard.

She was jailed for 52 weeks for assaulting the paramedic and was sent to HMP Styal, where she was described as acting 'erratic' upon arrival. Jurors noted there was a 'struggle' to complete Annelise's initial assessment due to her 'taking her clothes off' and 'shouting inappropriate comments' at the nurse.

Nurse Vicki-Lea Bell previously told the court she first spoke to Annelise through a panel on the cell door and then inside the cell. It was a 'difficult consultation', she said, admitting it meant she could not access a computer to see the history of the case as she would have been able to in the