A deaf TikTok star who took her own life after being sent a ‘suicide kit’ was failed by mental heath services, an inquest has heard.
Imogen Nunn, 25 – known as Deaf Immy on the social media platform where she highlighted hearing and mental health issues – died on New Year’s Day, January 2023.
The sudden death of the popular influencer sparked an outpouring of grief among her 800,000 followers.
It later emerged she had sourced a ‘suicide kit’ online and had been sent a package containing a lethal chemical.
Chef Kenneth Law, 57, was subsequently arrested and is facing trial in Canada in relation to a number of deaths.
An inquest into her death today was told Immy’s death was ‘avoidable’ and could have been prevented if more support had been provided.
The hearing was told Immy, who was diagnosed as profoundly deaf at 18 months, had been a bright and sunny child while growing up.
Her mother, Louise Sutherland, described her as a ‘rainbow’ and said she had ‘special aura’ about her.
Imogen Nunn, known as Deaf Immy on Tiktok, had sourced a ‘suicide kit’ online after she was ‘failed’ by mental health services
Immy’s mother, Louise Sutherland (right), described her as a ‘rainbow’ and said she had ‘special aura’ about her
Kenneth Law is accused of selling a lethal substance to people across the world, with Canadian police alleging that he sent at least 1,200 packages to over 40 countries
But her mental health declined after she moved to secondary school and she began to suffer severe problems from the age of 14.
As well as self-harming, she attempted to take her life on numerous occasions and it later emerged she may have been abused by a boy at school.
She was sectioned and admitted to various hospitals throughout her teenage years – remaining in one hospital for more than three years.
The inquest in Horsham, West Sussex heard Immy had been discharged in September 2021 but had a system of mental health support in place for her.
But her parents, Ray Nunn and Louise Sutherland, believe she was failed by mental health services in the lead up to her death on January 1 2023.
They say Immy had begun to miss and cancel planned appointments – clear warning signs her mental health was deteriorating.
Her mother Louise said: ‘We believe that Immy’s death was avoidable, and that 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.
‘The reports [that she was missing appointments] should have been a cause for serious alarm that Immy was struggling – a repeated pattern with Immy was of disengaging with professionals when she was particularly unwell or a danger to herself, when she in fact needed an escalation in her care to keep her safe.
Immy’s parents Louise Sutherland and Ray Nunn said they believed Immy’s death was ‘avoidable’
Immy’s father, Ray Nunn (pictured), believed that ‘Immy felt hopeless and let down by the time of her death, and that she was failed’
‘We believe that Immy’s death was avoidable and that there were several missed opportunities to help her and in which it is clear to us that Immy was calling out for help.
‘Immy didn’t want to die, but she was exhausted from fighting desperately for the help she needed.’
She said: ‘Ray and I believe that Immy felt hopeless and let down by the time of her death, and that she was failed.’
The inquest heard that Immy had been treated in various places for her mental health while growing up but her profound deafness mean she needed bespoke treatment which she had not received.
However in 2018 she was admitted as a patient at the specialist St George’s Hospital in London where she was placed in the Bluebell ward – a specialist unit for deaf people with mental illness.
There she was diagnosed as suffering from complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and an emotionally unstable personality disorder as well as depression and anxiety.
She remained a patient at the hospital for more than three years before eventually being discharged in September 2021.
The inquest was told Immy, who had a talent for technology, had joined TikTok and begun making videos highlighting the battles of being a deaf person with mental health issues.
Immy’s deafness meant that bespoke treatment was not always provided despite seeking treatment in various places for her mental health
Her account became hugely popular and the videos she posted were watched by millions.
In a very short period her Deaf Immy account built up around 800,000 followers.
However despite the confidence her TikTok account gave her, she still struggled badly with her mental health.
The inquest heard she continued to receive treatment at St George’s Hospital and she was eventually discharged in 2021 and moved into a flat in Brighton with her hearing dog, Whitney.
However she began missing or cancelling appointments with her mental health support staff.
The inquest heard Immy’s parents, Ray and Louise, from Bognor Regis, became increasingly worried about her disengagement with mental health services.
It became clear Immy’s mental health was deteriorating and she told mental health staff she had considered suicide.
In February 2022 she was admitted to hospital in Brighton following a suicide attempt.
Immy was diagnosed with complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), an emotionally unstable personality disorder, depression and anxiety
However she continued to miss and cancel appointments and failed to respond to texts from her community care nurse, Carmen Jones.
In November 2022 she contacted Ms Jones and told her she had bought a chemical – classed as a ‘reportable substance’ in the UK – and that she planned to use it to end her life.
Immy told the nurse she was going to ‘Catch the bus’ and had joined a pro-suicide forum.
Sussex Police were contacted and visited her flat but failed to attend with a British Sign Language interpreter. They decided to take no further action.
Immy was admitted to hospital in Brighton on December 29 after seriously self-harming and causing a bad injury to her forearm.
The TikTok star saw her psychologist, Julia Lord, the following day and told her she had considered suicide by drinking chemicals.
In a statement her mother, Louise Sutherland, said: ‘If there was a word for us to describe her it would be ‘rainbow’, there is something so beautiful about the way you feel when you see one, and that was how she would make you feel when she was around.
‘She had an aura that was just so special. She was a gentle, kind and genuine young lady.
‘Immy spent 11 years fighting a battle, she never gave up fighting the voices in her head, she found strength and determination where others would have fallen, her fight for life was heartbreaking to watch but we knew that Immy had hopes and dreams and a whole future and an amazing life ahead of her.’
The inquest continues.
For confidential support, call Samaritans on 116 123, visit samaritans.org or visit www.thecalmzone.net/get-support
