Anorexic girl, 15, who said she ‘would rather kill herself than eat’ before she was found hanged ‘may not have intended to die’, coroner says

AN ANOREXIC teenager who was found hanged may not have intended to kill herself, a coroner has said.

Ellie Long, 15, from Wymondham, Norfolk, once claimed she would rather kill herself than eat and had previously penned a suicide note, an inquest in Norwich heard.

The coroner though was not convinced Ellie, who was found hanged in her room in 2017, “intended to die”.

Ellie died in hospital on 12 December, two days after her mother found her in bedroom.

Coroner Jacqueline Lake said: “Ellie Long took action which took her own life. The evidence does not show whether she intended to die.”

She added there had been a “clear deterioration in her mental health” but she had denied suicidal thoughts.

Lake said she wasn’t “satisfied” Ellie intended to die from her actions and no letter had been found, although it was noted she had written one in the past.

Ellie Long took action which took her own life. The evidence does not show whether she intended to die.

Coroner Jacqueline Lake

Ellie’s family, speaking through their solicitor Elizabeth Andresen, said there were “issues which impacted on the care Ellie received, including a lack of available staff, failures in crisis planning and the need for better record-keeping”.

“We feel she was not given the support and treatment she needed by the eating disorders service,” they added.

Mrs Long also paid tribute to her daughter describing her as a “beautiful, intelligent and wonderful young lady”, who put “others’ needs and feelings before her own”.

During the inquest, her family said they had been “failed by everyone”.

They also expressed their fears for her during a hospital stay when their daughter said she would rather kill herself than eat.

Bohdan Solomka, Norfolk and Suffolk Mental Health Trust’s medical director, said there had been a review following Ellie’s death and improvements – including those to record-keeping – had been made, while “staffing levels in the team are now at full strength”.

“The coroner’s independent psychiatric expert gave evidence that Ellie reported no plan or previous attempts which would have alerted professionals,” he said.

“The trust acknowledges all of Ellie’s mum’s efforts to do the best for her daughter.”

If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans on (free) 116123.