A ‘peaceful and loving’ musician was brutally stabbed to death in the street by a 14-year-old girl who was already ‘known to carry a knife’, an inquest has heard.
Nimroy Hendricks was fatally stabbed in the chest in Crawley, West Sussex, in 2020.
The teenager, with a long criminal record, was arrested and found to be suffering from a ‘significant abnormality of mind’.
In 2022, she pleaded guilty to manslaughter on grounds of diminished responsibility at Bristol Crown Court and was sentenced to nine years, five in custody and four on extended licence.
An inquest revealed the girl had a history of violent crime and mental health issues.
At the time of the attack, she was missing from home, flagged by police as a ‘high risk,’ and was ‘known to carry a knife’.
The hearing also heard that Nimroy, known as Nim, was acquainted with the girl’s mother, though not through his work as a carer.
On the night of October 27, 2020, the 24-year-old travelled to the apartment shared by the mother and daughter and found the place in disarray.
Nimroy Hendricks, 24, died after he was stabbed in Crawley by a schoolgirl, 14
The teenager, with a long criminal record, was arrested and found to be suffering from a ‘significant abnormality of mind’
Finding the girl, known as Child A, in her bedroom he confronted her before leaving the apartment and making his way towards a nearby train station.
However, he was pursued by the girl who had armed herself with a knife and as she caught up with him she ‘lunged’ at him and stabbed him in the chest.
Detective Superintendent Andy Wolstenholme of Sussex Police told the inquest: ‘She swings and lunges at him. Nim says: “I’ve been stabbed” and he stumbles backwards.
‘He continued to stumble backwards whereas Child A goes back [to the apartment].
‘Before she leaves the area she meets with a witness and she says: “I’ve stabbed Nim”.’
Paramedics and the air ambulance rushed to the scene but despite frantic efforts to save the carer, he was declared dead at the scene.
The hearing was told Child A was a violent individual who had a ‘serious’ criminal record.
On the Police National Computer (PNC) she had faced a catalogue of charges and was ‘known to carry a knife’.
Flowers were left in Russell Way, Crawley, following the death of Mr Hendricks. Friends described him as ‘the nicest guy you’d ever meet’
Armed police carried out a search around Crawley on after the incident in October 2020
Mr Wolstenholme home said: ‘She had been a missing person. It later became evident she was an incredibly violent individual.’
Paying tribute to her son, his mother Elizabeth Hendricks, said Nim was hugely loving child and man and a talented musician.
She said: ‘He was a leader and a performer. He loved books and reading. He was confident, happy and inquisitive.
‘He was a joy to us. He loved the environment, the mountains and being close to the sea.’
Mrs Hendricks said Nim had moved to Thornton Heath, near Croydon and had begun working as a carer.
She said he had applied to go to college and wanted to go on and work as a therapist.
Mrs Hendricks said her son knew the woman, known as Female A, but was not aware her daughter had a ‘serious criminal history’.
However, she said Nim was hugely compassionate and had gone to great lengths to help the mother and her daughter.
The inquest, which is due to last two weeks, continues.
