Girl who felt betrayed by Childline took her own life

A SCHOOLGIRL killed herself after complaining she had been “betrayed” by Childline, an inquest has heard.

Jesse Walker, 16, claimed the charity had leaked confidential details about her suicidal thoughts to the police and, “devastated” by this, took her life.

Described as a “beautiful soul”, she contacted the counselling charity on live chat while alone in her bedroom, confessing she was having self-harm thoughts. The Childline operator knew only that she was called Jesse and the family home was in Scarborough, North Yorks.

However, Jesse cut short the conversation and Childline was so concerned for her welfare that they contacted the National Crime Agency, asking them to trace the IP address of her computer.

Pc James Dunn, of North Yorkshire Police, arrived at her home at 1.30am to be told by Jesse’s mother that her daughter was in bed asleep. Having checked the girl was in no immediate danger, he left. He said: “Mrs Walker was aware Jesse had been on the internet earlier in the evening. But she seemed OK after that. My concerns for her immediate safety were met.”

Childline sent him a transcript of the conversation with Jessie which he

‘Jesse was so angry that her confidence had been breached and the police had been around’

also forwarded to a mental health worker Jesse had been seeing. But when the teenager found out Childline had shared her details with police, she was devastated, the inquest at Scarborough Town Hall was told.

Her mother, Heather, told the hearing: “Jesse was so angry that her confidence had been breached and the police had been around. She said she felt betrayed by Childline. She said she was tired and went back to sleep. She did not go to college that morning.”

The morning after she contacted Childline, Jessie stayed home and watched TV but seemed fine, the inquest heard. In the evening, she was in her room while her mother went out with a friend but when she returned she went upstairs to find her daughter unconscious.

Despite frantic attempts by her mother and paramedics to save her life she never regained consciousness and died the same evening, on Jan 23 this year.

The inquest heard that Jesse had a history of self-harm and had become stressed while study for A-levels at Scarborough Sixth Form College. Jonathan Heath, the coroner, recorded a narrative verdict that Jesse had been found dead after leaving suicide notes.

However, he did not make any recommendations after hearing that the mental health organisations involved had learned lessons from the tragedy.

They had met Childline, which had only contacted the police out of concern for Jesse, but it had been agreed that the agencies needed to work closer together in the future.