Social worker had concerns for killer child

A former social worker has told an inquest there were safety concerns surrounding a violent 14-year-old girl who went on to stab a man to death in West Sussex.

Nimroy Hendricks, 24, was found in Russell Way, Three Bridges, Crawley, in October 2020, with a stab wound to the chest, hours after the teenager had threatened to stab her mum in the neck.

In 2022, the girl was sentenced to five years in prison for the manslaughter of Mr Hendricks.

Court-imposed reporting restrictions mean BBC News can only refer to the now 18-year-old female as Child A.

West Sussex, Brighton & Hove Coroner’s Court heard how Child A had attacked her mother multiple times and was violent at school.

Referrals sent to West Sussex County Council’s social services department had warned of a “high risk of significant harm” and that the teenager could “act aggressively to others”.

The concerns for her wellbeing grew when two men reportedly followed Child A into a bathroom at one of the temporary accommodation sites she had been moved to with her mother.

Mr Aquinuce Hlomuka, who previously worked for the council, told the court: “I was worried she would be coming into contact with dangerous males.

“It was very, very worrying. She shouldn’t have been in that situation.”

Child A went missing in the days leading up to Mr Hendricks’ death before police located her and left her in the care of someone claiming to be her cousin.

However, Child A had no family in the area.

Messages read out at the inquest on Monday revealed how a social worker raised the issue with the authorities.

“Child A was found last night and went to stay with a family friend,” they said.

“This does need a [strategy meeting] today if we can fit that in.”

Sussex Police had responded by saying: “This needs to be done ASAP if she has been missing for four days!”

Despite the police scheduling an urgent meeting, no one from social services attended after Mr Hlomuka said he had left his laptop at home and had no access to emails.

Ifeanyi Dan-Jumbo, who manages the family safeguarding service, told the court she had not been copied into any communication, and described the social services computer program as “not a very straight-forward system”.

The inquest continues.