“There are no words to express the pain of losing Semina. I have lost my baby and my only daughter.”

The heartbroken mum of Semina Halliwell sobbed on the final day of her daughter’s inquest as she said: “She didn’t need to die”. Semina, 12, took her own life four months after she was allegedly groomed and raped by an older boy in January 2021.

On the sixth day of an inquest at Sefton Coroner’s Court today, January 20, her mum Rachel Halliwell said: “To have my child taken away from me, especially in these circumstances, is devastating. My life will never be the same again. All the hopes and dreams I had for Semina are gone with her and I’m left feeling empty and broken.

“If I didn’t have my sons I honestly do not think I would still be here. The pain is too much to bear. It all feels so senseless and could have been so easily prevented. She didn’t need to die. She should still be here with us.”

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Semina, from Southport, died at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital on June 12 2021, three days after taking an overdose of prescription tablets. The Y7 Stanley High School pupil had allegedly suffered from months of bullying and harassment after allegedly being sexually abused by a boy in January 2021.

On the night of June 9 – one day before Semina was due to give a video interview about the alleged rape – Merseyside Police were once again called to the family home after an harassment report. At around 12am, the court was told, Semina went upstairs, saying she had “had enough”. She then made a number of videos of herself crying and miming to songs on her phone, followed by a video of what appeared to be empty pill packets on her bed.

In a tribute to Semina read out by Rachel today, the mum-of-three said: “She was a happy and confident child growing up. She was very close to her brother. They were inseparable and did everything together. It was almost like they were twins.

“She was happy and well-liked throughout primary school and developed good friendships. I think her time at primary school was the happiest time of her life. She was a beautiful little girl and people would stop her in the street to tell her how pretty she was. She had a magnetic personality.”

She went onto describe how Semina, who was diagnosed with autism, dreamed of moving to Manhattan in New York, and wanted to become a dentist working in Los Angeles. She loved to cook and made cakes for her neighbours, and “would insist on making home-made chips every single night”.

She was also generous and would often buy McDonalds for her friends and let them borrow her clothes. Rachel said: “She was a very innocent 12-year-old and would still play with toys. She loved magic sand and would watch Barbie movies.”

But there had been “a complete change in Semina’s personality” around the summer of 2020. Rachel went on: “The change was like night and day. She went from being bright and bubbly girl to being depressed and withdrawn. She was unrecognisable. She was completely distant and closed-off. You could be in the same room as her but it was like she was a million miles away. She would not open up and tell us what was going on.

“Towards the end of her life, Semina could no longer see the beauty in herself. She was self-harming and had started to make herself sick after eating. I tried to get her support through CAMHS but she would often minimise things.

“In June 2021 the consultant asked her if she understood what she had done. She said she did understand and she had taken the medication because she wanted it all to go away. She asked the consultant if she was going to die. There are no words to express the pain of losing Semina. I have lost my baby and my only daughter.”

A two minute silence took place in the court in memory of Semina. Following this, Coroner Johanna Thompson announced the conclusion of the inquest would be postponed to a date to be arranged.

She said: “It had been the case that I was proposing to conclude this inquest tomorrow, however in light of all the information and the evidence, which has been extensive in this case, the final hearing will not take place tomorrow. Instead it will be postponed to a date as soo as possible for a final summing up and conclusion to be read.” The inquest continues.