Semina had been assaulted just one day before she was due to meet with police after reporting her alleged rape
Semina Halliwell(Image: Rachel Halliwell)
A rape allegation made by a 12-year-old girl who later took a fatal overdose was taken “very seriously” by police, an inquest has heard. The detective in charge of the investigation into the alleged rape of schoolgirl Semina Halliwell strongly denied he pressured her to change her mind about her report, saying: “No matter how difficult it is, I’ll always look for a golden nugget to prove it.”
Detective sergeant Christopher Loughead met with Semina on March 28 2021. Semina, from Southport, took her own life following months of alleged harassment after she claimed she had been raped by an older boy in January 2021.
The Y7 Stanley High School pupil took an overdose of prescription pills on the night of June 9 after walking out of a police interview at her family home, saying she had “had enough”. She had been due to give a video interview about the alleged rape the following day. She was taken to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, where her condition deteriorated and she died on June 12.
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Her inquest continued at Sefton Coroner’s Court today, January 15. Her mum Rachel Halliwell believes her daughter might still be alive if there had been better support for her. She said Semina, reporting the alleged rape in March 2021, was told the case would “take 18 months to two years to go to court” and that it would be “(her) your word against his”.
But DS Christopher Loughead, an investigating officer who visited Semina and her mum and aunt on March 28, strongly denied pressuring the 12-year-old to change her mind. In court today, he said he had explained to Semina the various potential “pitfalls” that could arise during an investigation, saying: “As we explained what the processes are, we would look at forensics, mobile phones, witnesses – and ultimately there were no witnesses to the events on those days. So it would be explained that it would effectively be both their accounts taken.”
He then asked Ms Halliwell and her sister, Claire, to leave the room so he and PC Paula Carney could speak to Semina privately. He said: “I felt there was a little bit too much pressure being put on her for a decision. I thought it might be easier to speak to her on her own to get more information.”
He said Semina then confided that she did not want to proceed with the investigation, and this information was relayed to her family. Harriet Johnson, representing Semina’s family, asked: “Did you, at any stage during the investigation into Semina’s rape, tell her that you believed her?”
The DS replied: “I don’t know whether I used those exact words. I think a phrase that I usually used (was) no matter how difficult it is, I’ll always look for a golden nugget to prove it.”
Information about the allegation was given to Stanley High School for safeguarding purposes, and DS Loughead and another officer, PC Alison King, visited the accused boy at his home on April 1, 2021.
DS Loughead said: “I formed the view that, whether Semina would be going to do the interview (or not), I was going to speak to the male that day. If he didn’t surrender his devices to examination he would be arrested and I would have seized him under Section 32, but as he volunteered them over to me I was able to conduct a voluntary interview at Southport police station.”
The 14-year-old was interviewed the following week, but “didn’t make any admissions to the officers”. DS Loughead also became aware of another report of alleged rape against the same boy, made by a different girl, but “it had been filed as the complainant declined to proceed”.
The court also heard Semina had been assaulted on March 27 2021 – one day before her meeting with police – and this was believed to be because she had reported the alleged attack. DS Loughead said: “If (Semina) had given the video interview we were going to also include the assaults, because there was potential it was witness intimidation. But she decided she didn’t want to progress the assault.”
Semina died after taking a fatal overdose(Image: UGC TMY)
PC Paula Carney, a specially trained officer, was allocated Semina’s case on March 24 2021, and paid a visit to her home that day. She said: “Semina reported two separate occasions where she had been subjected to sexual assault from the same boy. They had been in contact via Snapchat since November 2020 and he had been pestering her to meet up with him.
“There were two separate occasions where she did meet him, one in January, one in February, where they met near Morrisons, travelled together to a wooded area.” She said it was alleged the boy then asked Semina to perform a sex act on him, and raped her when she refused, and that this had happened on both occasions.
She said: “(Semina) didn’t want to talk about what had happened to her. Whether that was she felt embarrassed discussing it or whether it was reluctance as she didn’t want to to go any further, she just didn’t wish particularly to speak about it.”
She added: “I think Semina’s mum was encouraging Semina to go ahead with the police report. I think it was ‘you don’t want this to happen to someone else’. So I reiterated that it was not down to Semina to take on. She had reported the matter to the police and now it was our job to protect the public, not hers.”
PC Carney said it was agreed that Semina would be given space to decide what she wanted to do, and that Ms Halliwell later contacted her to say her daughter wanted to go ahead with the report, leading to the meeting with DS Loughead on March 28. But Semina then changed her mind on the understanding she could report it again at a later time.
Ms Halliwell said Semina had been offered “no help, no support, nothing” after reporting what had happened to her. But PC Carney said she had referred her to RASA, a charity offering support and counselling to victims of sexual violence. An appointment was arranged, but was not attended, the court heard.
On May 29, PC Loughead received a voicemail from Ms Halliwell saying Semina now wanted to do a video interview, and this was arranged for June 10. But the meeting was suddenly cancelled after Semina took an overdose of prescription tablets on June 9, shortly after police attended her home following another report of harassment.
The inquest continues.