Teen influencer found dead in bed after overdose, inquest hears
A 16-year-old influencer who endured years of online abuse on the gossip website Tattle Life was found unresponsive in bed at her supported accommodation after taking an overdose, an inquest has heard.
Princess-Bliss Dickson died on 7 February at private supported accommodation in Waltham Abbey, a hearing at Chelmsford’s County Hall was told on Wednesday. The proceedings were opened and immediately suspended to allow an ongoing police investigation to take precedence.
Senior coroner for Essex Lincoln Brookes told the hearing that “priority must be given to the police investigation”, adding that Essex coroner Sonia Hayes would take over the case at a later date and review it periodically. Addressing those present, he said: “My deep condolences to all of you, and I suspect to a great many family and friends that are not here today.”
Coroner’s officer Matthew Austin set out the limited details that could be shared at this stage. “She was found unresponsive in bed. An ambulance was called and her death was confirmed at the scene,” he told the hearing. “Essex Police are carrying out a police investigation into the death.” A post-mortem examination was carried out at Great Ormond Street Hospital by Dr Liina Palm.
Princess had been a familiar face in the public eye since the age of four, when she appeared alongside her mother, Sophie-May Dickson, on Channel 5’s 2014 documentary Blinging Up Baby. The programme followed mothers who spent thousands on their young children’s appearance, with Ms Dickson speaking openly about giving Princess and her two-year-old sister pedicures, spray tans and hair extensions. The documentary itself drew an Ofcom investigation after complaints from viewers, and the regulator subsequently found it had breached rule 1.28 of its Broadcasting Code, which protects under-18s from unnecessary distress or anxiety arising from their participation.
The teenager’s death has sharpened scrutiny of Tattle Life, an anonymous gossip forum where her mother had previously been the subject of more than 10,000 posts. When Ms Dickson stepped back from posting, attention turned to her elder daughter, who from the age of 14 became the target of remarks about her lifestyle and appearance.
In February, a group of 20 Labour MPs wrote to Ofcom and the Information Commissioner urging “immediate and decisive” regulatory action against the site. In their letter to Ofcom chief executive Dame Melanie Dawes and Information Commissioner John Edwards, the MPs said: “We write to you as Members of Parliament to request your immediate regulatory intervention in relation to the website Tattle Life, following the death of Princess Dickson, aged 16.”
They went on to describe what they said had been more than two years of harassment. “For over two years, since the age of 14, Princess had been the subject of sustained and escalating online harassment, stalking, and abuse by adult users of Tattle Life,” the letter stated. “The abuse included repeated derogatory commentary about her body, appearance, mental health, family, and personal life. This activity amounts to persistent online stalking and harassment of a child by adults.” The MPs added that Princess had been aware of the content posted about her and had become “increasingly distressed by the daily bullying and false allegations made on the site”.
In a separate post on LinkedIn, Lowestoft Labour MP Jess Asato, one of the signatories, said the website’s owner “must be held accountable”.
Ms Dickson has continued to share moments of her grief publicly, including photographs taken beside her daughter’s coffin on 26 March — a decision that drew criticism from some online users. In a lengthy response, she insisted the images had not been shared for attention. “The day I tucked my baby to sleep for the very last time. The hardest goodbye,” she wrote. “I love you, Princess. You are loved beyond belief. I’ll see you next in heaven girl.”
Pushing back against the suggestion that her behaviour was inappropriate, she wrote: “I did not broadcast this for views” and described the photograph as a private moment captured by a hired photographer. “I would not of remembered every part of this day if I didn’t hire photographers who were just there silently in the background capturing out beautiful last moments,” she said, adding that she had wanted to share “a very special moment of mine”.
A spokesperson for Essex County Council said: “We are very saddened to learn about this death that took place on February 7 this year in supported accommodation. We are working closely with the police and Ofsted as the local safeguarding authority. We will be unable to comment further while the investigation progresses.”
Essex Police confirmed inquiries were continuing. “As part of the coronial process, we’re carrying out enquiries into the circumstances around the death of a teenage girl,” a force spokesperson said. “This work is progressing appropriately and in line with the coronial process.”
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