Victim was warned not to 'antagonise' killer teen

Care worker Nimroy Hendricks was described as a talented musician

A man who was killed by a violent 14-year-old girl had been warned by her mother to "stop antagonising her", an inquest has been told.

Nimroy Hendricks died after the teen stabbed him in the chest in October 2020 at an address in the Three Bridges area of Crawley, West Sussex.

Eight months before the attack, the girl - who can only be identified as Child A because of court-imposed reporting restrictions - had stabbed her mother in the leg, tried to burn down her building and assaulted police officers.

Frederick Powell, the barrister representing Mr Hendricks' relatives, said "because the threat to him was never properly assessed, he was never told he shouldn't go to the property".

However, the inquest at West Sussex Coroner's Court heard that Child A's mother had told an earlier investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct that she had been advised by social services to stay away.

Mr Hendricks, who was known to the family, had gone to Child A's flat to collect work tools when he found the interior had been "annihilated" following an outburst by the teen.

He then used a swear word to describe her and had "booted her door".

Her mother said that "riling her was not a good idea", adding that she had "told him to stop antagonising her".

Three months before the fatal attack, the mother of Child A - who is now 19 - had told Sussex Police that the girl was threatening both to her and Mr Hendricks and that "she feared further violence from her".

But PC Sidaway, the integrated offender manager who wrote the intelligence report, said there was a difference between direct threats and threatening behaviour.

"No direct threats were made," she added.

"If I had meant direct threats then that would have been listed and further action would have been taken."

The inquest continues.