The Mail on Sunday has learned that over the course of the last six years, at least 11 students at a prestigious institution have committed themselves.
One of the student’s devastated parents will argue this week at an inquest that despite being warned that their son was upset, Exeter University employees did not do enough to assist their son.
Bright physics and astrophysics student Harry Armstrong Evans, 21, committed himself in June 2021 after failing several of his third-year examinations while under lockdown.
His parents, Rupert and Alice, allege that when they tried to raise the alarm about his mental health, they were ‘fobbed off’. They also claim that he was outraged by the university’s decision to limit his scores if he retook the tests.
Rupert and Alice Armstrong Evans requested Ministers to enact “Harry’s Law,” which would require coroners to notify universities when they record a suicide judgment and for institutions to disclose the numbers. They made this request in an interview with The Mail on Sunday.
Mr. Armstrong Evans remarked, “Had I known there had been previous suicides at Exeter, I would have instantly raised inquiries.”
The MoS questioned Exeter University, which said that it was aware of 11 student suicides that occurred between 2016–17 and 2022–23.
With 25,000 students at Exeter, according to Louis Appleby, a professor of psychiatry at Manchester University who advises the government on its National Suicide Prevention Strategy, “you would anticipate only three suicide fatalities over four years.”
But he issued a warning that tiny numbers vary and comparisons with other schools are uncertain, making it difficult to be positive about statistics from specific colleges.
Harry was the second Exeter student majoring in astrophysics to commit himself in the previous four years.
In June 2017, 20-year-old Joel Rees was discovered dead in his dorm.
Harry returned to Exeter for his first set of four examinations in his final year in January 2021 after being forced to spend a large portion of his second year back home in Cornwall due to the pandemic. None of them were passed by him.
He was informed that he may retake the exams but that the maximum grade he could get was 40%.
Mrs. Armstrong Evans remarked, “I think this was the beginning of the ultimate trigger for Harry and prepared the stage for his later suicide.”
She reported her concerns about her son to the university’s Wellbeing Services in May 2021, and she says she was informed that Harry would be contacted.
It is said that he subsequently informed his parents that this never occurred.
In June 2021, he visited the family home one more before killing himself four days later.
The 63-year-old mother of two said, “I don’t believe he intended to die; I simply think he thought he had no other option. I just feel grateful to have known such a kind person.
The confinement and being let down together, according to Mr. Armstrong Evans, 72, are a lethal combination.
‘We are very grieved by Harry’s death and the family’s loss,’ a university official said. The coroner’s inquiry is receiving full attention from the institution this week. Any additional comments till the inquiry is over would be absolutely improper.
The institution, he said, has made major investments in the wellbeing of its students and offers support services seven days a week on campus and in the surrounding area, especially during the Covid-19 epidemic.
Visit samaritans.org or phone 116 123 to get private help from the Samaritans.