6 months ago
18
A 15-year-old girl was electrocuted on a railway line after communication failures involving police and the track operator, a report has said.
Police officers, responding to a trespass report in March 2023, told their control room they could not see anyone from a bridge.
Track power was then switched back on, despite the lack of a detailed search or oversight by police supervisors, Pan-Dorset Safeguarding Children’s Partnership (PDSCP) said.
The girl's mother felt her daughter was "failed by all", including care authorities, the report added.
The "intoxicated" teenager decided to walk home along the track after a night out with friends, report author Sarah Holtom said.
She wrote: "At approximately 01:00 there were reports of trespass on a train line in the local area.
"Once Dorset Police had attended and reported to their control room that they couldn’t see anyone from the bridge, deemed an 'area search no trace'... Network Rail decided to re-energise as in line with policy and procedure."
However, she said British Transport Police (BTP) supervisors were not made aware of the incident and BTP staff did not know what the search had involved.
She said the girl had previously used the track as a "short cut" and had not been warned of the dangers by authorities.
The teenager, given the pseudonym "Edie" in the report, had complex needs, Ms Holtom said.
She wrote: "Life became difficult for Edie, aged 13 years, following the death of her much-loved horse."
The teenager was excluded by all six mainstream schools in her area, drank to excess and used and sold drugs, according to the report.
In December 2022, Edie went to the railway station "with the intention of hurting herself".
A week before her death, she took an overdose but absconded from hospital.
The report said authorities missed opportunities to intervene following both incidents.
It said the lack of a suitable education for Edie prompted one professional to comment that she had been "set up to fail".
A decision in April 2022 not to provide CAMHS mental health services to Edie "due to parenting issues" was an "acknowledged error" and "could be construed as victim blaming", the report added.
It said agencies should have done more to understand the needs of Edie's mother, who had separate issues and often asked for help for her daughter before withdrawing consent.
An inquest into the death is due to be held at a later date.
