UK Girl, 12, Died by Suicide After Struggling With New School and Excessive Phone Use, Inquest Hears

A 12-year-old girl died by suicide after experiencing difficulties at a new secondary school and spending excessive time on her phone, an inquest has been told. Angel Karanja, who had been a "model student" in primary school, found the transition to Cornerstone Academy in Hamworthy, Poole, to be "difficult."

She frequently missed classes and, shortly before her death on March 17, told a friend she would "rather be in hell than at school." As she became more withdrawn, Angel spent increasing amounts of time playing the game Minecraft and watching YouTube videos on her phone.

Her father, Eliud Matindi, told the inquest that his daughter had become "almost nocturnal" due to her phone usage. After her body was discovered in her bedroom at their home in Poole, Dorset, at 7:30 a.m., police found that Angel had been receiving messages on Snapchat as late as 5 a.m. on the morning of her death.

A review of her Samsung phone and tablet revealed no evidence of cyberbullying or searches related to suicide. Angel left no note and had not disclosed her intentions to any friends, the inquest heard. She had joined the 600-pupil secondary school the previous year, and her struggles had impacted her academic performance.

"Angel was the light of all our lives and she brightened every single day," Matindi told the inquest. "We have so many wonderful memories of her. She was a model student at primary school and never got into trouble and was polite to everyone. But I would describe her transition to her new school as difficult. It was much larger and she was very reluctant to attend. She missed a lot of classes and her academic performance was affected."

Matindi also stated, "As she got older I noticed she became more withdrawn and spent more and more time on the phone watching YouTube and playing games. I would describe her as almost nocturnal and she slept through the day. When she was in her room she would spend all her time on Minecraft."

On the morning of her death, Matindi called up to his daughter shortly after 7:30 a.m. to tell her to get up for school. After receiving no response on three occasions, he went upstairs and found Angel in her bedroom. He called emergency services, and paramedics arrived but pronounced her dead at the scene.

"She will forever be missed by us all," he added. Matindi had believed his daughter was improving, noting that her attendance had increased and she had made friends in Year 8.

Interviews with Angel's school friends indicated that one claimed she had been bullied by a group of girls at a sleepover. Another friend told officers that Angel had expressed a preference for being "in hell than at school."

Dorset coroner Brendan Allen recorded a narrative conclusion, stating that Angel died as a consequence of ligature suspension. He added, "Her intention is not explained by the evidence."