University of Exeter student Harry Armstrong Evan died by suicide, an inquest has found (Picture: PA/Rex)
A University has been heavily criticised over allegedly failing to respond to a student’s ‘cry for help’, weeks before he took his own life.
Harry Armstrong Evans, 21, a third year physics and astrophysics student at the University of Exeter, died at his family home after suffering from a mental health crisis in June 2021.
He had failed some of his exams and was said to be struggling with isolation during the Covid-19 lockdown.
Guy Davies, the assistant coroner for Cornwall, said there had been a ‘total absence of personal engagement’ from the University to Mr Armstrong Evans.
He also took aim at a ‘catalogue of missed opportunities’, which allowed him to slip through the cracks without receiving proper support.
Less than a month before he died, Mr Armstrong Evans emailed his tutor and the wellbeing service at Exeter University and explained how isolation brought about during lockdown had affected his mental health and, he claimed, had led to a downturn in his exam performance.
The assistant coroner described the email as a ‘cry for help’ but said it did not lead to any direct contact between the University and Mr Armstrong Evans or his parents.
‘This court has heard evidence of the terrible consequences of academic pressures on students and the need for universities to provide a safety net for their students,’ Mr Davies said.
Third year student Harry Evan Armstrong was found dead at home after taking his own life following a mental health crisis at univeristy (Picture: Getty)
A coroner claimed the student had contacted his Univrsity’s wellbeing desk three times in a ‘call for help’ but was ignored (Picture: PA)
‘That should include welfare services and the capacity to proactively respond to concerns.
‘In Harry’s case, the safety net did not operate to safeguard Harry. Concerns were raised on a number of occasions by both Harry and his parents.
‘My central finding will be that the welfare service did not proactively respond to those concerns and did not provide the necessary support for Harry.’
Mr Davies continued: ‘Specifically, there was no engagement with Harry’s family. Indeed, his parents only found out about the extent of his exam failure after his death.
‘I further find that Harry’s death was due to an acute mental health crisis which was preceded by a catalogue of missed opportunities, along with system failures, which together led to an absence of proactive results which meant Harry could not receive support.’
Harry’s parent’s are now seeking to implement ‘Harry’s Law’, which would require universities to disclose their annual suicide rates (Picture: Getty)
The inquest also questioned whether the university’s wellbeing team’s case management system was ‘fit for purpose’, after it was found two phone call logs made by Harry’s mother raising concerns about her son’s welfare had been accidentally deleted.
Outside court, Mr Armstrong Evans’s family described him as a ‘beautiful, kind and intelligent soul’, and said: ‘His passing is made all the more tragic because it was entirely avoidable.’
Speaking after the coroner recorded a conclusion of suicide, Rupert and Alice Armstrong Evans said they were calling for the implementation of ‘Harry’s Law’, which would require universities to publish their annual suicide rates and provide a legal duty of care to students.
‘Harry was a beautiful, kind, intelligent and gentle soul. He never had a cross word with anyone’, they recalled.
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‘He was our pride and our joy and his passing is made all the more tragic because it was entirely avoidable.
‘Legally, the students are adults but, emotionally, many are not mature enough to process the suffocating stress of exams and, in the case of Harry, when they do raise their hand and ask for help, it is often too little, too late.’
In a statement, Mike Shore-Nye, registrar at the University of Exeter, said: ‘We are deeply saddened by Harry’s death and the family’s loss.
‘We continually review and improve the wellbeing support we provide based on evidence and learnings, including from tragic cases such as Harry’s.
‘We will consider the coroner’s detailed conclusions in this case and make sure we learn the lessons to enhance our support and operations further, specifically in the areas recommended by the coroner.’
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The third year student took his own life at his parent’s home in Cornwall after suffering a mental health crisis at University.