Semina Halliwell Inquest: Day Three

Day three - Semina Halliwell inquest – Wednesday 15 January

A summary of evidence heard during the inquest into the tragic death of 12-year-old Semina Halliwell in Southport in 2021 at Bootle Town Hall on Monday 13 January 2025

DC CHRISTOPHER LOUGHEAD – MERSEYSIDE POLICE

DC Loughead said the first time he became aware of Semina’s case was when he was allocated the rape investigation on 24 March 2021. He said he read the online report made by Rachel Halliwell and was aware of the safeguarding concern over the alleged offender attending the same school.

He said he had contacted Elaine Fraser-Orr (at Stanley High School) and advised her of the allegation and discuss what was in place to make sure Semina and the male were separated. He said Covid had helped as there were bubbles and zones within the school.

He said PC Carney, who was a specially trained officer (STO) had been allocated to the case. He said he spoke to her and asked her to go out that night and get an IVAR (initial account). He said their paths had not crossed until they were next on duty at the weekend and that he had no involvement in taking the first account.

He said he was made aware that Semina did not want police to investigate.

He said an interview was arranged on Sunday 28 March. He said he and PC Carney had discussed the family dog and they had utilised it as rapport and bonding exercise with Semina.

He said Semina appeared fine but there was not a lot of conversation but he believed she understood what was happening. He said himself and PC Carney explained their roles and the investigation process that needed to go through before you can get a conviction.

He said he there were a lot of interjections from the mum and the auntie but he felt a lot of pressure was being put on her to pursue something she did not want to do. He said he indicated it may be easier if he spoke to her on her own and build a bit of rapport.

He said a retraction statement had been taken by PC Carney. He said Semina had not wanted him to speak to the male involved which left him in a difficult situation as it would be going against Semina’s wishes and the rapport building to speak to the suspect formally and get his account.

He said he later made the decision to formally speak to the suspect who had handed over his phones voluntarily. He said the investigation had not proceeded far down because of what then happened in June. He said the male was interviewed but he did not make any admissions under caution.

DC Loughead said he spoke to Semina in May 2021 when she gave him details of a potential second victim. He said he checked the police systems to see if the second complainant was engaging but they had declined to prosecute and he told Semina and her mum that the second investigation had been closed and if there was to be a video interview he would only be conducting it with Semina.

He said Semina did not want to go any further and he had given her time overnight to think about it as he did not want her to make a rash decision.

DC Loughead said he was aware of the other allegations regarding physical assaults on Semina and he wanted to incorporate them when Semina gave her video interview as there was potential to look into witness intimidation. He said he would have done it all in one go but Semina did not want to progress. He said Rachel had been sent a NICE link to send over videos of the alleged assaults.

He said he received a voicemail on 29 May that Semina now wanted to go ahead and his decision was PC Carney as the STO (specially trained officer) should be the conduit for the ABE (achieving best evidence) and it was booked in (for 10 June).

Under questioning from Miss Johnson, on behalf of the family, DC Loughead said he was not a specially trained officer and his role was not to conduct video interviews but to gather evidence such as forensics, mobile phones etc.

When asked ahout the five day delay between Mrs Halliwell making the report and the 24 March (when the family was first visited) he said the issue was the original report was an online report and no patrol had gone out.

He agreed it was quite common for victims of sexual violence to be reluctant to go ahead with prosecutions. He said he did not think it was unusual that PC Carney had not needed an intermediary when speaking to Semina.

He said when speaking to Semina on 28 May he did not notice a large bruise on her neck and he couldn’t recall being shown a bruise and that they had mainly spoken on that occasion of the more serious allegation.

When asked if he had told Semina that the time taken to get the matter to court was 18 months to two years he said he had explained the time it takes and also with Covid and backlogs.

When asked if he mentioned he had to fill in a lot of forms DC Loughead said he didn’t remember using that phrase but would have explained a lot of work was involved. He said he did not believe Semina had interpreted his response that she was a burden to investigate and that he had already started working on it. He said it was part and parcel of his job to gather the best evidence to ensure the best outcome for the victim.

When asked about reference to it being ‘her word against his’ he said they had explained the pressures of forensics, mobile phones and witnesses and ultimately there were no witnesses but said at that time he had not spoken to the suspect and did not know what he was going to say about it.

Miss Johnson asked when dealing with a 12 year-old rape victim with autism was it vital for her mum and auntie to leave the room and he said it was important that they heard from Semina.

He said there would have been further discussion when Rachel and Clare came back into the room and that it had not been presented as a fait accompli.

In relation to whether he sought to reassure Semina about safeguarding steps to protect her at school he said he had already spoken to the school and they had their own policies, which would have been discussed.

Miss Johnson asked if DC Loughead had ever told Semina he believed her and he said he said no matter how difficult it was he would always look for a golden nugget to prove it.

When questioned by Mr Branston, for Merseyside Police, he said at no point was he trying to lighten his (work) load.

When asked if he took the investigation seriously he replied ‘very seriously’ adding that as soon as he received the report he was making phone calls.

He agreed he had explained the pitfalls involved in such an investigation but also the support available to Semina and agreed he was a police officer who took his job seriously.

He said he had explained the difficulties to Rachel and Clare in order to set expectations and keep mum and auntie aware of any potential pitfalls.

He said when they visited the house they had gone there expecting Semina was going to do it as they had organised the ABE (achieving best evidence). When asked if he had put any pressure on Semina to change her mind he said ‘absolutely not’.

He agreed that he had said to Semina she could report the case in five, 10 or 15 years as he had explained the seriousness of the allegation meant there was no statutory limit.

He said at no point did he say to Semina her decision that day was final.

Mr Branston asked why mention was made about the dog (which had been in the family home) and DC Loughead said it had been discussed on the way to meeting Semina of ways of engaging with her and building rapport, trying to get her to trust them and find common ground.

 

STO (SPECIAL TRAINED OFFICER) PAULA CARNEY – UNITY TEAM

PC Carney’s said her first involvement with Semina was when she came on duty on 24 March 2021 and the case was allocated to her and DC Loughead and she went to visit Semina and her mum that evening.

She said the meeting was the first face to face contact for the family and was to explain the process of the investigation and what that entailed and to offer her support.

She said Semina had told her on two separate occasions that she had been subjected to a sex assault by a male who she knew from school and was her brother’s friend. She said the male had been contacting her via Snapchat since 2020 and pestering her to meet up with him.

She said in January and February (2021) Semina said she had met the male and travelled to a wooded area where she had refused to perform sex acts on him and where the assaults had taken place.

PC Carney said she had assessed Semin’s communication ability with a view to her completing an ABE in future and she took it that Semina understood what was being described to her.                                                                            

She said Semina was reluctant and did not want to talk about what happened. She said she did not know whether it was embarrassment or reluctance but she did not wish to speak about it.

She said it was left with giving Semina breathing space to process it with a view to revisiting at a later date.

She said Semina’s mum had been enthusiastic for it to go ahead and had been encouraging Semina telling her you (Semina) did not want it to happen to someone else and she (PC Carney) explained it was not Semina’s responsibility it was the police‘s job to protect the public not hers.

She said it had been discussed about Semina self-harming but she didn’t remember any mention of Semina having previously taken tablets.

PC Carney said she spoke to mum Rachel on 27 March 2021 after they had had a couple of days to think about it and asked what Semina’s thoughts were. She said Rachel had explained that Semina was willing to be inerviewed and have her mobile phone examined.

She said during the visit on 28 March there was an open and honest conversation about the investigation process and she explained Chris (DC Loughead’s) role. She said Semina was quite quiet but there were a lot of grown ups in the room and everyone wanted their opinions to be heard.

She said Semina said she did not want to go ahead with the police investigation or talk about it anymore.

When asked how it was left she said Semina was fully aware that there was no time limit and if she made contact the investigation could be reopened.

PC Carney said she then had limited contact until June when DC Loughead notified her that Semina had changed her mind and wished to complete the interview. She said she tried to call Rachel on 4th June but the call had gone unanswered and she had texted to offer 10 or 11 June for the ABE and it was arranged for 10 June at Formby police station.

When questioned by Miss Johnson PC Carney said she had received training but not specifically relating to autism although there had been inputs on courses from various experts on how get best evidence and deal with victims of serious sexual assaults.

When asked about the use of an intermediary PC Carney said she made an assessment during her meeting with Semina and concluded it was not needed and Semina was communicating fine. She said she believed Semina had clearly understood what was happening.

When asked if she considered the support Semina’s mum and auntie were giving to her when they were asked to leave the room PC Carney said she always gave children the opportunity to speak when no other adults were present and give them the opportunity to say something they may not feel comfortable saying infront of others. She said she explained to Semina the support that was available to her.

When asked if she explored the reluctance to speak PC Carney said she believed she would have tried to see if there was something the police they could do to alleviate her concerns.

When asked if she was aware if people with autism can reach a point of over stimulation and shut down she said she did not feel that was what had happened in Semina’s case.

She said she was aware that Semina was receiving support from CAMHS which she believed was due to her self-harming. When asked if she followed up any referrals that had been made she said she received an email from RASSA, a charity that supports victims of sexual violence, that the referral had been received but Rachel Halliwell had chosen not to attend an appointment and the file was closed. She said she didn’t follow up the reason or attempt to speak to Rachel or Semina about it as she was guided by what the victims want and did not want to cause stress.

She said a VPRF referral had been completed and sent to Merseyside Police’s Protecting Vulnerable People’s unit and to the multi-agency safeguarding hub (MASH).

 

PC ALISON KING – UNITY TEAM, MERSEYSIDE POLICE

PC King said she was asked on 1 April 2021 to accompany colleague DC Chris Loughhead to visit the suspect (in the sexual assault allegation) but en route had decided to call in and speak to the Halliwells.

PC King said it was a very welcoming house and said it was an easy conversation with Semina who was a really chatty, smiley girl. She said Semina’s conversation had been free flowing when her mum left the room. She said she was surprised how articulate Semina was and wasn’t frightened of speaking to adults.

She said she explained to her mum what was happening with the suspect and explained what a police caution was.

She said during the meeting she would have once again explained the ABE process and when she left Semina’s address she believed Semina was still considering what could happen and what she could do. She said he could not recall if she told mum they were on the way to interview the (suspect) but agreed it would have been important for the family to know that was happening that day.

She said she didn’t believe that because Semina came across as a grown up young lady who was quite articulate that she treated her as more grown up and capable than she was.

When asked what she had done to reassure Semina when Semina expressed concerns about matters getting worse she said she had not made a note of what was said but she would generally go through the powers available to police.

PC King said she had not attempted to further get in touch with Semina after that meeting because the investigation had not been allocated to her.

 

ELAINE FRASER-ORR ASSISTANT HEADTEACHER AND RESPONSIBLE FOR SAFEGUARDING AT STANLEY HIGH SCHOOL

 

Ms Fraser-Orr said the school was first made aware of Semina self-harming by mum Rachel in Sept 2020 who had contacted the head of Year 7. She said they were told Semina was under CAMHS but had had no contact with them since lockdown.

She said as Semina’s mum was already taking her to GP they had let their own first aider know and Serena was put  on a vulnerable list.

She said in October 2020 they were aware of a discussion about a Tiktok post. She said the school was aware of social media usage and that it could cause a lot of issues and concerns for young people but it was not something they were not used to dealing with. She said the policy at the school was for pupils to turn off their phone in registration and put it away and it was not encouraged during school hours.

She said Rachel had let the school know when she took Semina to her to GP or to CAMHS and they would wait on CAMHS so they would know they were doing the best for the child.

She said an  Early help worker from social services would come into school but it was very difficult to offer pastoral care during lockdown but they had developed a system where pastoral care was available and they had a list of vulnerable families.

When Semina’s autism diagnosis came in February 2021 she said it would have gone on Semina’s records and her support plan looked at.

Ms Fraser-Orr said in March 2021 the school had become aware of the disclosure of a sexual act involving Semina and she had told her mum Rachel to report the assault to police.

She said she was aware of Semina taking tablets in that same month but understood that Rachel had reported it to CAMHS. She said an individual risk assessment was not put in place for Semina but the pastoral team was alerted and a ‘watch plan’ put in place.

She said in relation to the sexual assault allegations that mum Rachel had reported it the police but the school had not reported it.

When asked by Miss Johnson was it right to assume the information had been passed on and was it better for the report to be made twice rather than not at all she said in that instance they should have done that.

She said zonal areas were in place to keep Semina and the boy accused of the assault apart which had barriers and were manned by members of staff but there was nothing specifically in place to ensure she would not see him. Mrs Fraser-Orr said that could have been considered but it was difficult to see how it would be physically done.

When asked if it could have affected Semina’s mental health to see the boy who assaulted her Ms Fraser-Orr said she would have had someone in the school she could speak to.

Mrs Fraser-Orr said the school did have a safer schools police officer who was there for advice and to speak to the children about keeping safe. She said she would have expected the officer to update her (on the investigations) but was not sure it happened.

In relation to videos online of Semina being assaulted she said the girls involved were not part of the school and there was no immediate concern about Semina in school.

When asked if she Stanley High School had supported Semina she said ‘yes’ adding ‘we are always going to think, always going to wish we could have done more’.

The inquest resumes tomorrow, Thursday 16 January.