Rochdale grooming gang victim dies by suicide at 33, inquest hears

An inquest in Cheshire heard that Charlotte Tetley, 33, a victim of the Rochdale child-sex abuse ring, deliberately sat on railway tracks and was fatally struck, ending years of mental health struggles tied to the abuse.

Ms Tetley was named as a Rochdale grooming gang victim for the first time during the proceedings, conducted by Cheshire coroner Sarah Murphy. Murphy issued a Prevention of Future Deaths warning after Tetley was discharged from hospital without a qualified assessment, despite having told mental health workers she was thinking of harming herself. Tetley had a complex longstanding mental health history, including Emotional Unstable Personality Disorder and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and a history of substance misuse that she used as a coping mechanism. Her abuser returned to the area in July 2023, prompting Tetley to move from Rochdale to Macclesfield.

At the time of her death, Tetley had been prescribed medication, but her adherence varied and often correlated with housing stability. She had been under the Macclesfield Community Mental Health Team since July 2023 after relocating when her abuser moved back into the area. The inquest heard that she had previously attempted suicide by overdosing on multiple occasions and had been treated as a high-risk missing person, yet police and ambulance services decided that responders could not be deployed.

The Rochdale grooming ring involved girls as young as 12 who were groomed with alcohol and drugs before being subjected to gang rapes in filthy flats, cars, car parks and other locations. In a Prevention of Future Deaths report, Murphy described Tetley as having a complex mental health history and being a victim of the Rochdale abuse, with diagnoses including Emotional Unstable Personality Disorder and PTSD and ongoing substance misuse that contributed to a behavioural and mood disorder. She noted that drug dependence acted as a coping mechanism and that Tetley’s concordance with medication was sporadic, influenced by housing stability. At the time of her death, Tetley remained prescribed medications, though adherence was inconsistent.

In June 2024, Tetley attended A&E in Macclesfield expressing concerns for her safety and thoughts of jumping in front of a train. She was reviewed daily for a week, but clinicians concluded she did not require an inpatient bed, while outlining that options involving the homeless pathway should be explored. After the discharge, she contacted her probation officer, reportedly screaming that she planned to go to the railway line to kill herself, and she spoke with family expressing distress about her situation. Following engagement with the community mental health team, Tetley was later removed from railway tracks in September 2024 after reporting suicidal thoughts. Police were contacted when she was deemed a high-risk missing person, but officers said no one could be deployed, and ambulance services similarly declined to deploy personnel due to unknown location.

On September 24, Tetley had a court hearing but did not attend. She did speak with her mental health keyworker and later visited a community drug and alcohol team, where staff described her as tearful and in a low mood. She was fatally struck by a train soon after. Murphy’s findings included concerns about care: she noted that Tetley had a complex mental health history and was a Rochdale grooming victim, with drug dependence described as a coping mechanism and medication concordance that was inconsistent. The coroner highlighted that Tetley had been under the Macclesfield Community Mental Health Team since July 2023 after moving from Rochdale as her abuser returned.

Murphy also raised concerns that a patient could be removed from an inpatient bed list before an appropriate same-day review by a mental health professional, warning that such practices could increase risk. The Prevention of Future Deaths report was sent to the Chief Executive of Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Trust, with a response required by November 9.

Context around the case underscores longstanding concerns about safeguarding and care pathways for vulnerable individuals who have endured abuse and developed complex mental health needs. The inquest adds to ongoing debates about access to timely inpatient care, housing stability, and ongoing support for survivors of child sexual abuse who face chronic mental health challenges.