A fatal accident inquiry into the death of a 13-year-old schoolgirl who took her own life after looking at “suicide guides” online is to focus on whether the care she received from the NHS before the tragedy was good enough.
Sophie Parkinson first sought help from mental health services when she was seven.
The teenager, a second year pupil at Dundee High School, is reported to have been chatting to adults online and looking at content relating to self-harm and suicide before her death five years ago.
Her mother, Ruth Moss, 47, has blamed NHS Tayside for the death, claiming that Sophie would be alive had she received better care.
A preliminary court hearing before a fatal accident inquiry, expected to start next January, was told that the “actual circumstances” of Sophie’s tragic death would be the subject of an agreement between lawyers, allowing the probe to focus on what might have been done to prevent it.
At Dundee Sheriff Court, Sheriff Tom Hughes ordered that a further preliminary hearing should be held on November 25 , to ensure all is ready for the evidential stage of the inquiry, which is expected to last five days.
Outside the court, Mrs Moss said: “I have a real mix of emotions today but it’s a relief that the inquiry is finally starting.”