British girl, 14, carved swastika into her head as neo-Nazis target kids online

The Nottinghamshire schoolgirl was brainwashed by US white supremacist Christopher Cook who never faced charged over polluting the teen’s mind with holocaust denial and racism

The mother of a teenage girl who carved a swastika into her head has warned parents neo-Nazis are targeting kids on the internet. Rhianan Rudd was a “bubbly, lighthearted” before she was radicalised in online message boards from the age of 14.

The Nottinghamshire schoolgirl was brainwashed by US white supremacist Christopher Cook who was later jailed over a terrorist plot to attack power grids. Brave mum Emily Carter’s warning follows a number of high-profile cases of teens being groomed by depraved people online.

Three British teens – including one 13-year-old – were separately sentenced recently for stabbing three teachers, plotting a ‘death day’ massacre and planning to burn a mosque. Rhianan, who had autism and mental health issues, almost went down the same path when she was radicalised by Cook, who was four years her senior.

The sicko corrupted the teenager’s mind with conspiracy theories about holocaust denial, anti-Semitism and racism. Rhianan had little to no chance of escape as she was once described as “the most vulnerable child” a social worker “had ever come across”.

She became the youngest girl charged with terrorism offences in the UK when she was charged with six counts relating to the downloading of a bomb manual and sending WhatsApp messages detailing her desire “to kill someone in school or blow up a Jewish place of worship”. The charges were later dropped.

Cook was the source of the neo-Nazi bile that corrupted the teenager’s mind, which he hasn’t faced any charged over. Rhianan met the white supremacist on messaging app Discord during the Covid-19 lockdown before they started a “relationship”.

Despite Emily’s best efforts, Cook’s influence led Rhianan to carve a swastika into her head twice, make threats of becoming a suicide bomber and racially abuse a black person on the street. The teenager’s condition worsened when she was placed into a children’s home and, after suffering a three-day mental health breakdown, she hanged herself in May 2022 when she was just 16.

And she is not the only British teen being targeted by depraved people online. Mum Emily told the Sun: “Knowing how prevalent this is makes me feel sick, it’s heinous and disgusting.

“There are grown men targeting vulnerable children and kids who are quiet or nerdy or spend a lot of time on their computers. They keep whispering in their ears until the change is made.

“They are being brainwashed and their lives and thoughts are being turned inside out, and why? Because these people want something from them.”

Emily explained how her daughter’s conversion to neo-Nazism started with a fondness for a German character in the game Fortnight. She dreamed of opening a cafe in the country but things took a dark turn when she connected with Cook.

Emily said: “Her fixation became deeper, deeper and deeper to the point where it was no longer a fixation, she was being groomed.

“You can’t sit next to them all the time on the computer, but it became grooming. Her whole persona changed – she became moody, quiet, and didn’t want to leave her room.

“Before she was very bubbly, very intelligent, would do anything for anybody and didn’t care what colour, religion, or anything. She also stood up to bullies.”

For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.

For emotional support, you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.