The parents of a vulnerable student who took her own life has joined other parents to launch a petition to parliament to change the law to give them better protection - as the University of Bristol announces it is going to try again to appeal a decision that they were partly liable for her death.
Margaret and Robert Abrahart are among 25 bereaved families who have come together to launch the petition, calling on ministers to establish new laws that give universities a legal duty to exercise ‘reasonable care and skill’ when teaching students and providing support services.
The couple’s daughter Natasha took her own life in April 2018 and since then they have been involved in a legal battle over Bristol University’s treatment of the 20-year-old in the weeks and months before her death. And today, the launch of the petition coincided with the University announcing it would continue a legal challenge against a court decision that found they were partly liable and should pay Natasha’s parents compensation.
