Cambridgeshire teen felt 'not believed' after abuse probe dropped

Sam Gould (left) died in September 2018 and her twin sister Chris died four months later

A teenager felt she was "not believed" after a police probe into alleged sexual abuse was dropped, an inquest into her death heard.

Chris Gould, 17, died in January 2019 while an informal patient at a mental health unit near Cambridge.

Her parents told the inquest that clinicians felt alleged abuse was the "root" of her mental health problems.

Last month, the coroner found there were "shortcomings" around the death of her twin sister Sam in September 2018.

Chris's inquest at Huntingdon Town Hall heard a statement from her parents Ian Gould and Jane Cannon.

It said she was a keen snowboarder, "adored" horse riding and that she and her sister were "fiercely, fiercely loyal to one another".

Mrs Cannon said: "[Chris] loved writing - her creative writing throughout school was always commented on."

Mrs Cannon told the inquest she had been to many concerts with Chris, and one of her favourite bands was Creeper, who "we followed all around the country".

The inquest is being held at Huntingdon Town Hall

While being taken through evidence by coroner Nicholas Moss QC, her parents said the alleged abuse first began in 2007.

The inquest heard that aged about 14 or 15 it became "clear" the twins were struggling with their mental health, and in May 2016 Chris made an attempt to take her own life.

The following month the alleged abuse was disclosed to police, but later that year they were told by Hampshire Constabulary there would be no further action.

The parents agreed that both Chris and Sam felt "invalidated and not believed" after the investigation ended.

If you are affected by issues raised in this article, help and support is available via the BBC Action Line.

If you or someone you know needs support for issues relating to mental health, these organisations may be also able to help.

Mrs Cannon had earlier told the coroner that the parents had "never doubted... for a moment" the honesty and reliability of what they had been told about the alleged abuse.

She said health professionals accepted that abuse was the "root of the mental health problems".

Sam's inquest was told the criminal investigation was closed because the sisters had not wanted to provide an evidential account in a video interview.

Mr Moss found at the previous inquest that Sam's borderline personality disorder was the "main cause of her death", which was assessed "to be related to allegations of prolonged sexual abuse in her earlier childhood" and that she had taken her own life from an overdose of prescription drugs.

Mrs Cannon said that following Sam's death: "We were horribly aware that what was already an uphill battle was considerably steeper."

The inquest heard Chris, from Fulbourn near Cambridge, was an informal patient at the Darwin Centre, a mental health unit in Fulbourn run by Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust.

The court heard she died on 26 January 2019.

The hearing continues.

Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email [e-mail]