A TALENTED musician died after being stabbed in his chest by a mentally-ill teenage girl who slept with a knife under her pillow, an inquest has heard.
Nimroy Hendricks, 24, was chased down a street and fatally stabbed by the 14-year-old girl in West Sussex in 2020.
He collapsed on the road and was later pronounced dead at the scene, despite the best efforts of paramedics to save his life.
The teenager – who was known to be vulnerable and was on a Child Protection Plan – had been flagged as posing a “high risk”, often “carrying a knife” around with her.
Eight months before attacking Nimroy, the girl – who can only be identified as Child A because of court-imposed reporting restrictions – had stabbed her mother in the leg, tried to burn down her building and assaulted police officers.
Frederick Powell, the barrister representing Nimroys’ relatives, told West Sussex Coroner’s Court that the teen had “been known to carry knives and on occasions slept with a knife under her pillow”.
Child A lived with her mum at the property in West Sussex, with the family having recently moved from Birmingham.
Just four days before the fatal attack, Child A had gone missing from the home.
Although police were able to find her, she was unable to return home as her mum was away in London.
However, instead of placing her into protective custody, she was instead allowed to stay with a woman who claimed to be her “cousin”.
The woman was not a relative and was in-fact known to police as she had criminal convictions and was a known drug user.
Coroner Penelope Schofield said cops had failed to verify whether the woman was a relative of the teenager – instead leaving Child A on the side of the road at 2am with a stranger.
She said: “The police did not physically attend the address given to them and therefore did not realise this person was not a relative.”
Ms Schofield also said social services had failed to hold an emergency strategy meeting which had been organised when the child went missing.
She said that as a result “There was no opportunity to put in place additional safeguarding measures. It is possible that had these matters been addressed, the perpetrator may not have been in a position to carry out the act which led to Mr Hendrick’s death.”
The coroner also ruled that failings by Sussex Police and social services at West Sussex County Council may have contributed to the death of the “peaceful and loving” musician.
The inquest heard that Child A’s mum had told an earlier investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct that she had been advised by social services to stay away.
Mr Powell said “because the threat to him [Nimroy] was never properly assessed, he was never told he shouldn’t go to the property”.
Nimroy, who was in a relationship with the girl’s mum, had gone to the flat to collect work tools when he found the interior had been “annihilated”, following an outburst by the teen.
After finding the flat in disarray, he angrily banged on the girl’s bedroom door.
He then left the home and was making his way towards a nearby train station when the girl chased him down the street, confronting him.
She then stabbed him once in the chest, telling a bystander: “I’ve stabbed Nim,” as she calmly walked away.
Child A – who had a long criminal record – was then arrested by police and later judged to be suffering form a “significant abnormality of mind”.
‘THE POLICE AND AUTHORITIES FAILED’
Speaking after the inquest his parents Nimroy Hendricks Snr and Lisa Hendricks said their son had been failed but they were relieved by the coroner’s findings.
Lisa said: “Nim should never have been put in the position he was. The authorities were well aware of the risk posed by the child.”
She said the impact on the family had been shattered by his death and accused the police and social services of trying to cover up their errors.
Mr Hendricks said: “The police and authorities failed, they failed in every sense of the word.”
The inquest in Horsham, West Sussex, heard the 14-year-old girl had a history of violence and suffered from mental health problems.
She had been diagnosed with PTSD and a split personality disorder, had a criminal record and had previously attacked police.
The hearing was told the girl had suffered a “turbulent” childhood and had been the repeated victim of sexual assault, sex abuse and child sexual exploitation which had compounded her mental health condition.
Mr Powell said Nim had never been told the risk of violence from the girl.
He said: “Nim was overlooked. He was never told of the risk this child posed. He was in a blindspot due to the failure of examining what was known.”
Paying tribute to her son, his mum Lisa said Nim was a hugely loving child and man and a talented musician.
She said: “He was a leader and a performer. He loved books and reading. He was confident, happy and inquisitive.
“He was a joy to us. He loved the environment, the mountains and being close to the sea.”
Sussex PoliceNimroy Hendricks, 24, died after being stabbed in the chest by Child A[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
