Girl entered reservoir while on family walk - inquest

Qudsiyah Mahmood, 13, drowned at Baitings Reservoir near Ripponden in May

A teenage girl who drowned at a reservoir intentionally entered the water while walking with her family, a coroner has concluded.

Qudsiyah Mahmood, 13, drowned at Baitings Reservoir near Ripponden, West Yorkshire, on 28 May, with her body located the following day.

An inquest into her death heard the teenager from Halifax had told friends she had been in a "low mood" at the time, however her family were not aware of her intentions.

Assistant coroner Caroline Chandler told Bradford Coroners' Court Qudsiyah's messages and the recollections of a witness at scene "tragically indicated an intention to end her own life".

Det Insp Laura Hall, of West Yorkshire Police, told the inquest that officers had seen screenshots of Snapchat messages Qudsiyah had sent to her friends prior to her death saying she was "in a low mood and confused about her sexuality".

The detective said she had told friends she was going somewhere with her father, with the communications suggesting the teenager was "intending to take her own life".

The hearing was told Qudsiyah regularly went on walks at the reservoir with her family and it had been somewhere she enjoyed visiting.

She had woken her father up to ask him to take her there on the day of her death, the inquest heard, and told him she had wanted to take pictures and videos at the location.

He had been walking in front of her when she entered the water, the inquest heard.

A witness later told police he had initially seen Qudsiyah walk over the edge of a bridge into the reservoir with "no hesitation".

"Based on the account from [the witness] and messages to friends, it would suggest that she had taken her own life," the detective said.

Her family told officers they were "quite supportive and if Qudsiyah was struggling she could come to them".

"Her friends were aware but nobody else was aware of what she was doing," she added.

Calderdale Council said no safeguarding concerns were identified following an investigation.

Ms Chandler concluded: "It would appear from the evidence that Qudsiyah deliberately entered the water."

The teenager, who was a Year 8 pupil at The Crossley Heath School in Halifax, was described as a "bright, kind and friendly young person who brought happiness to our school" by head teacher Dean Jones.

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