A heartbroken mother has spoken of her fury after her daughter, who was groomed by a right-wing extremist, died following a wrongful terrorism charge. Rhianan Rudd, 16, was autistic and vulnerable when she was radicalised by an American white supremacist. Her mother, Emily Carter, slammed police for wrongfully charging her with terrorism offences. Rhianan was found dead at a Nottinghamshire children's home in May 2022, five months after charges were dropped.
Radicalisation and Grooming
Rhianan plotted to blow up a synagogue and scratched a swastika into her forehead, The Mirror reports. Despite evidence indicating Rhianan was a victim, she became the youngest girl ever to be charged with terror offences in the UK. Rhianan's friends and mum have revealed in a new documentary what led up to one of Britain's most controversial youth counter-terrorism cases.
In Channel 4's "The Schoolgirl Terrorist?" Emily told of her shock when she realised her daughter had become obsessed with far-right ideology. She said: "She came down and went: 'I've downloaded "How to Make a Bomb"'. She came over and sat on my lap like a two-year-old, put her arms around me and cried."
Mother's Plea for Help
Emily added: "That afternoon I actually went online to a form and referred her to Prevent." She wrote: "I need help with my 15-year-old daughter. She has a very unhealthy outlook on fascism - she also has massive dislikes for certain races and creeds…I have done my best to deter her from any such ideologies, but it seems to be falling on deaf ears."
It emerged this month that the number of people being flagged to the government's anti-terrorism scheme rocketed 39 per cent in a year to a record high, with one in five reported over fear of extreme right-wing ideology. Prevent received 10,293 referrals in the 12 months to September 2025. Half were under 18.
Exploitation by Extremists
Chesterfield Coroner's Court heard Christopher Cook, from Ohio, first contacted Rhianan when she was 14. She had previously told detectives that she had exchanged explicit photographs with the neo-Nazi, adding: "I did love him." Cook, 23, was jailed in the US in 2023 over a plot to attack power grids. Emily said: "He had groomed Rhianan to the point where she had sent him sexual videos of herself nude."
The FBI had passed this evidence to the British authorities many months before she was charged showing he had groomed, coerced and exploited her. Emily, who admits she has made mistakes that adversely affected her children, added: "They knew Rhianan was being sexually exploited but they kept on treating her like a terror suspect." She added: "I know a lot the mistakes I made have affected my kids but when I'm telling someone else I can see what you're doing is wrong, listen to me and they did f*** all."
Rhianan also had direct contact with American white supremacist Dax Mallaburn, who came to the UK to live with Emily, who was vulnerable having previously been in a violent relationship. Mallaburn has since fled the UK.
Loss and Legacy
Emily said her daughter had an apprenticeship lined up as a jockey and was making costumes for charity when she was found hanged. She wept as she said: "She had so much to offer the world and she had a good heart." Rhianan, from Derbyshire, had gone from being a huge My Little Pony fan to obsessing about white supremacy. Rhianan's brother Brandon said: "It's clear that there were failings."
Rhianan was arrested in August 2020. The charges were eventually dropped in December 2021 after she told detectives that she had been coerced and groomed. 'The Schoolgirl Terrorist?' airs on Channel 4 on Thursday at 10pm. For mental health support, call the Samaritans for free on 116 123, email them at jo@samaritans.org, or visit samaritans.org.
