A couple whose daughter committed suicide at university say they have still not received an apology - and officials have 'trivialised' her death. Bob and Margaret were awarded £50,000 after physics student Natasha, 20, tragically took her own life in April 2018.
A senior judge recently found Bristol University liable to 'multiple breaches' of its legal duties towards her. Natasha had been due to give a presentation in front of 300 people but she couldn't cope and was found dead later that day.
A court found the university did not make reasonable adjustments to Natasha’s assessment in light of her anxiety. It said it therefore discriminated against her under the Equality Act, ultimately leading to her death.
The Abraharts were paid £50,518 in damages, but the University of Bristol is now considering appealing the decision. Bob says they have not received an apology from the uni - who he says have showed no humanity.
Speaking to student news site The Tab, he said: “The bit that really bugs me, the bit that hurts, is that they haven’t even said they’re sorry. 'They put Natasha through six months of hell. They destroyed her.
''They don’t even have the humanity to actually own up and say ‘we’re really sorry for what we did to her’. 'How can they sleep at night? We’re so angry at the way we were treated by the uni''.
Natasha Abrahart had chronic Social Anxiety Disorder and would ask friends to go into shops on her behalf and speak for her in class. After an inquest revealed the cause of death to be suicide, her parents were spurred into action.
Bob said: “The decision to take them to court was made at the end of the inquest. We were so angry at the way things had gone on, the way we were treated by the university.
''There was no way we weren’t going to court. We knew we had a strong case.”
Bob and Margaret say instead of implementing proper changes, the uni has spent time and money fighting them in court. Margaret said: “The more you delay, the more students are suffering.
''Students are opting out of university now. Students are ending their life now. We had sufficient information three and a half years ago to make changes.
''By the end of the inquest we were pretty sure we had a case. Four years on what changes have been made? 'Well, if they haven’t acknowledged the problem, I don’t see what changes could have been made.”
She adds: “There’s been this belief that universities are doing the right thing and doing as much as they can, but in my view they’ve never really gone back and looked in sufficient detail at what happens when things go wrong which they need to do because those are the things that can be fixed. And they can be fixed quite simply. If they really don’t have the resources to help people, phone the parents!”
Natasha’s parents have joined forces with a group of bereaved parents and family members, calling themselves the Learn Network and campaigning for change. Together they believe that the university sector’s efforts to combat the “student mental health crisis,” are being focussed in the wrong areas.
Hiring more wellbeing advisors will “get the press off their backs,” but for Natasha’s parents, they think the problem needs to be tackled at source. The Learn Network believe that improving internal processes and information sharing within the university could save lives.
“Instead of investing in the sticky plaster to put it right, what they need to do is stop causing the problem in the first place,” Margaret told The Tab. Bob adds: “We want to be consulted and fight for change.”
Following the case’s conclusion, a University of Bristol spokesperson said: “Our whole university community has been deeply affected by Natasha’s tragic death and we would once again like to extend our sympathies to her friends and family. We believe staff in the School of Physics worked incredibly hard and diligently to support Natasha during her time with us, and it was due to their efforts that she was receiving specialist mental health support from the NHS.
“Our staff’s efforts also included offering alternative options for Natasha’s assessments to alleviate the anxiety she faced about presenting her laboratory findings to her peers. 'We are very grateful to them for their endeavours on Natasha’s behalf and for their unwavering commitment to our students.
“We cannot replicate the NHS but are committed to working with the NHS and other partners to improve services and ensure we are collectively providing the best possible support for students. Given the significant impact this decision could have on how all higher education providers support their students, we are reviewing the decision carefully, including whether to appeal. In light of that review, it would not be appropriate to comment further on the judgment at the present time.”
Bob Abrahart told The Tab: “That statement trivialises Natasha’s death.”
In response, a spokesperson for the University of Bristol added: "We apologise that our previous media statement was felt to trivialise Natasha's death and we continue to express our deepest sympathies to her parents. 'We do not in any way underestimate the impact of Natasha's death on her family and friends.
"We are considering an appeal as the wider implications of the judgement could have significant ramifications for the whole higher education sector, particularly in relation to how we assess the work and learning outcomes of students with an undisclosed or undiagnosed disability.
''The judgement calls into question how universities can best support these students through making necessary mitigations while ensuring the academic integrity of degrees is maintained."
