'Bullied' schoolgirl, 12, hanged herself in her room two days before her birthday after sharing social media photo of her foot with 'RIP' drawn on it as coroner warns of her 'intense social media activity' in days before death

A 'bullied' 12-year-old hanged herself in her bedroom after posting a picture on social media of her foot with 'RIP' written on it. 

Jessica Scatterson took her own life at home in Warrington, Cheshire, at 3.45am on April 22, 2017.

An inquest into her death heard her social media activity had been ramped up to  'intense' levels which led her to be 'emotionally overwhelmed' before her suicide.  

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Jessica Scatterson hanged herself in her bedroom after posting a picture on social media of her foot with 'RIP' written on it, an inquest was told

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The 12-year-old was 'emotionally overwhelmed' and had become overactive on social media before her death, the inquest heard

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On the night of the schoolgirl's death, police were called to her home after receiving calls from her concerned friends

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The hearing was told that Jessica's friends knew she had previously self-harmed, but never told her parents or teachers at Penketh High School

Drawings and notes referencing death and suicide were found in her room days after she passed. The notes included the name of an alleged bully. 

Nasty messages between the girl and her friends in the days leading up to her death were discovered on her iPad, the inquest heard. 

The hearing was told that Jessica's friends knew she had previously self-harmed, but never told her parents or teachers at Penketh High School.

A police inquiry revealed there had been an incident 'relating to Jessica being bullied at school' in April 2016.

Inspector Hannah Friend said Jessica had come home with scratches to her face and a swollen eye after arguing with another girl. The matter was reported to the police but it was unclear who started the fight so no action was taken.

When quizzed by police, Jessica's friends denied she was bullied and said she 'gave as good as she got'.

Senior Coroner for Cheshire, Alan Moore, said: 'The level and the intensity of her activity on social media platforms… cannot have failed to have influenced her intentions.' 

The British government has warned social media giants such as Facebook and Instagram they'll be hit with multi-million pound fines if they fail to rid their platforms of harmful content. 

UK ministers are planning to launch a tech regulator that can impose the penalties on the firms for failing to delete posts that promote suicide or self harm.

Jessica's teachers told the inquest that she loved her father, Christopher Scatterson, but a lot of the domestic chores fell upon her and she was worried about his emotional health.

All admitted there had been incidents of name-calling and fall-outs between Jessica and her friends, but denied it was bullying. 

Mr Scatterson said he was unaware that Jessica was depressed or self-harming.

He described his relationship with Year 8 pupil Jessica as 'absolutely great' describing her as his 'little princess.'

Jessica's mum Rachael Warburton told the inquest she spoke to her daughter following a 'chance encounter' a few weeks before her death.

She said Jessica looked shocked to see her mum, who she was estranged from.

Mrs Warburton said the pair would communicate through social media, letters and Jessica's friends.

Mrs Warburton said Jessica told her that 'she was mocked by friends because she did not have a mother,' but added 'Jessica did not appear to be bullied by anybody. She seemed happy with her friends and it appeared that she had a close bond with her friends.

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Drawings and notes referencing death and suicide were found in her room days after she passed

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Nasty messages between the girl and her friends in the days leading up to her death were discovered on her iPad

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Jessica had sustained injuries after 'an incident' at school around a year before her suicide

The coroner said it was clear the schoolgirl 'must have felt emotionally overwhelmed at the time she took her own life'.

'The level and the intensity of her activity on social media platforms, particularly in the build-up to her death, cannot have failed to have influenced her thinking, her state of mind and her intentions.'

On the night of her death, police were called to her home after receiving calls from Jessica's concerned friends.

Officers woke her father Christopher by shouting towards an upstairs window, before hearing a 'loud scream' from inside the house.

Jessica was treated by paramedics at the scene but she was pronounced dead after arriving at hospital.