‘Failed her’: Star, 25, took her life after buying ‘suicide kit’ online

Parents of a TikToker who took her own life say it was “avoidable” and she was “failed” by the system.

A TikTok star who took her own life after buying a ‘suicide kit’ online told a support worker about the purchase prior to her death – and now, her family has said that she was “failed” by the system, an inquest has revealed.

Imogen Nunn, 25, who passed away at her flat in Brighton, a coastal town in southeastern England, on New Year’s Day 2023, was deaf and had faced mental health struggles since she was 14.

In the years that followed, she made several attempts to take her own life and was hospitalised, where she started sharing her experience on social media.

Fondly known as “Immy” by her loved ones, she began raising awareness about hearing and mental health issues and grew to over 780,000 followers.

In September 2021, after nearly four years as an inpatient, Ms Nunn was discharged and began living in an apartment with support from community mental health teams.

Imogen Nunn, 25, took her own life after being “failed” by the system that was meant to support her, Ms Nunn’s mother claimed. Picture: The Sun

On Monday, an inquest into her death in Horsham, a small town 30 km northwest of Brighton, revealed that by July 2022, Ms Nunn’s mental health had begun to deteriorate significantly, and she bought the ‘suicide kit’ online on November 14 and received the package at home on November 21.

On November 23, Ms Nunn contacted her support worker from the Deaf Adult Community Team at South West London and St George’s National Health Service (NHS) Trust to inform them that she was experiencing suicidal thoughts.

She told them that she had “bought something online that she planned to use to end her life,” as reported by The Guardian.

She also referenced a “pro-choice suicide forum”, the court heard.

This prompted the police to conduct a welfare check, however, no sign language interpreter attended, and Ms Nunn did not meet with mental health professionals “for at least several weeks afterwards,” the coroner heard.

She bought a suicide kit online that was sent to her house. Picture: Family handout

After spending Christmas with her parents, she self-harmed on December 29 and went to the emergency department at Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton.

The inquest heard she had texted her care co-ordinator, saying: “I’m simply having the worst few months, and I think I need to be admitted to a ward with sign language.

“I cannot look after myself anymore. I can easily go into the last resort, and I don’t want to.”

Despite this, Ms Nunn remained alone in the emergency room and left before the hospital mental health team saw her.

On December 30, Ms Nunn told her psychologist that she “did not feel safe” and had “a plan to kill herself” and referenced the suicide kit.

She agreed to enter a mental health crisis facility “to keep her safe,” but her care co-ordinator didn’t meet her that day as planned, and her admission never happened.

Ms Nunn’s mother, Ms Sutherland, said, “We believe Immy’s death was avoidable, and had appropriate actions been taken in response to the numerous times Immy contacted professionals she trusted asking for help, she would still be alive today”.

It comes after the government announced NHS England will be abolished in order to reform how the National Health Service is run.

NHS England’s role is to channel the funds it receives into various sectors of the health service and work out how to balance resources to bring about the changes the government wants to see.

Ex-chef Kenneth Law is accused of selling 1200 suicide kits that led to dozens of deaths worldwide and has been in custody since 2023. Picture: Supplied

Separately, Kenneth Law, a Canadian chef, is facing a murder trial in his home country for allegedly supplying suicide kits to people around the world who have ended their lives.

He has been linked to 88 deaths in the UK, according to The Guardian.

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Originally published as ‘Failed her’: Star, 25, took her life after buying ‘suicide kit’ online