Amy El-Keria

Amy El-Keria, 14, was a mischievous and energetic White child from London who loved Aerosmith.

Amy had complex mental ill health from a young age. 

She took her own life at a specialist children’s mental health hospital in East Sussex. She was an NHS-funded patient at the private hospital run by the Priory Group. Whilst at the hospital, she was repeatedly restrained and given sedative injections.

At the inquest, a jury found that neglect by the Priory contributed to her death. 

The Priory was fined £300,000 after pleading guilty to health and safety breaches over Amy’s death. This was the first prosecution of its kind.

Amy’s mother Tania El-Keria campaigned tirelessly to highlight what was happening to children behind the closed doors of mental health hospitals and how profit is put over safety.

Tania sat on INQUEST’s Family Reference Group and took part in the SoulsINQUEST project.

Tania died on 24 December 2022. Her daughter and Amy’s sister Gemma have continued her fight.