A 12-year-old girl in Poole, Dorset, took her own life after developing an addiction to her phone that disrupted her sleeping patterns, an inquest has heard. Angel Karanja, described by her father as a former "model student," struggled to adjust to secondary school, which she found overwhelming compared to her primary education.

Angel, a Year 8 student at Cornerstone Academy in Hamworthy, was discovered hanging in her bedroom by her father, Eliud Matindi, shortly after 7:30 a.m. on March 17. Paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene. Mr. Matindi told the hearing in Bournemouth that on the morning of her death, Angel had been active on Snapchat until around 5 a.m., and despite calling her to wake up, he received no response.

According to her father, Angel's difficulties began following her transition to the much larger secondary school, which accommodates approximately 600 pupils. He noted that she became increasingly reluctant to attend classes, missed many lessons, and her academic performance declined. As time went on, Angel became withdrawn, spending extensive hours on her phone watching videos and playing games, often staying awake through the night and sleeping during the day.

A search of Angel's Samsung phone and tablet yielded no evidence of cyberbullying or internet searches related to suicide. She left no suicide note and had not confided in friends about her intentions. Police interviewed schoolmates, one of whom reported that Angel had been bullied by a group of girls during a sleepover. Another friend quoted Angel as saying she would "rather be in hell than at school."

Despite these challenges, Mr. Matindi expressed in court that he believed his daughter had recently begun to improve, noting better school attendance and the formation of a new friend group among her peers. He described Angel as a bright presence in the family’s life who would be deeply missed.

The Dorset coroner, Brendan Allen, recorded a narrative conclusion stating the cause of death as ligature suspension but noted that Angel’s reasons for taking her own life remain unexplained based on the evidence presented.