Mother sobs as she describes how daughter was ‘failed’ by mental health services
Rosie Fender, 26, had been living with the teacher who abused her as a teenager, an inquest heard.
A mother sobbed as she described how her mentally ill daughter was “let down” by healthcare services after she had “begged” for support in the weeks before she died.
Rosie Fender, 26, died of a serious head injury after being hit by a train near Romsey, Hampshire, on February 3 2022, an inquest heard.
Her mother, Louise, told the Winchester hearing that her daughter had a history of agoraphobia and compulsive behaviour as well as insomnia.
She also said that her daughter had been groomed while at school by her IT teacher, Nicholas Haines, who started a relationship with her when he gave her guitar lessons at the age of 13.
He was prosecuted for this abuse but Rosie went on to live with him from when she was 18 years old and periodically until her death, the inquest heard.
Ms Fender said that as Rosie became an adult she decided to continue to live with Mr Haines because she was in love with him.
She said that she had limited contacted with her daughter for a period and added: “It was around this time that Rosie began to deteriorate because of her living conditions. Although I didn’t agree with the relationship I had no choice but to accept it.”
Ms Fender said that her daughter’s mental health worsened from April 2021 when her fear of germs mostly prevented her from leaving her home.
She said that she would speak to her for hours on FaceTime and her daughter would shower for up to eight hours at a time.
Ms Fender said: “I then realised her skin had layers of white stuff because of showering for five to eight hours, at times she couldn’t wear clothes because of germs.”
She said that her daughter started to drink and added: “Rosie began to experience difficulties with her sleep which led to her experiencing suicidal thoughts and auditory hallucinations.”
Ms Fender said that she struggled to get mental health support for her daughter from Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust, which is now part of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare.
She said: “I felt they didn’t understand how ill Rosie was. Rosie was 26 but her emotional level was more like a 13-year-old. I knew she wasn’t able to take care of herself.”
“We were passed from pillar to post.”
When she phoned for help, she said that she could hear “them complaining in the background” about her repeated calls.
Ms Fender added: “I felt completely stonewalled by them and I was worried about Rosie’s deteriorating state.”
She said that she made another call on February 3 2022, the day of her daughter’s death.
Ms Fender said: “I remember calling Southern Health again saying Rosie was going to kill herself that day.
“I knew she was going to hurt herself and felt powerless to stop it, I tried to get help from anyone I could but no-one would listen to me.”
She explained that the previous month her daughter had to register with a new doctor’s surgery because she had moved home to the Eastleigh area which had also interrupted her mental health care.
Struggling to finish her statement as she broke down in tears, she added: “I felt my precious daughter was failed because she didn’t have appropriate care which led to her death.
“She was continuously let down by the people who were meant to care for her despite my continuous calls for help.”
Mr Haines said he had started a relationship with Rosie when she was 18 and had taught her guitar when she was 14.
He said: “I used to be an IT teacher at Romsey School and she was one of my students. She came to me and asked as she wanted guitar lessons.
“One day she opened up and said she had been through a lot in her life, I just stood in the classroom and cried.
“I can’t explain it, there was some kind of connection between us and I wanted to help her if I could.”
He told the court that he had served a term of imprisonment for his offences against Rosie as a child and added: “We started seeing each other, we both knew it was stupid and something that should never have happened.
“I look back and … massive regret of how it all happened.”
Mr Haines said that after he came out of prison he met up again with Rosie when she was 18.
He said her mother had told him that “Rosie did suffer from mental health issues from when she was young”.
He said her condition worsened around the time of lockdown and she had started talking about evil spirits and they arranged for her to be seen by an exorcist.
Mr Haines said she had been suffering from insomnia and had repeatedly threatened suicide.
He said: “I did my best, I would never leave her on her own until she was calm.”
Mr Haines added: “I can see she had given up all hope. Rosie did say both I and her mum were going to get a shock soon.
“At this point I thought Rosie was just stressed.”
He said that she first started hearing voices after she used a ouija board with a medium.
He said: “She said that she engaged in sexual activity with it (the spirit) but then it attacked and raped her.”
Mr Haines said that he tried to encourage Rosie to see her mother and family and added that he needed help in looking after her.
He said that the need for help for Rosie became “urgent” but added that “she felt that no-one believed her”.
The inquest, which is listed for six days, continues.
