A university fresher who struggled with mental health problems hanged himself in his halls of residence after he was told to isolate amid a spike in coronavirus cases in Manchester, an inquest heard.
Finn Kitson, 19, was three weeks into a politics and international relations degree at the University of Manchester when he took his own life at halls of residence in Fallowfield in 2020.
The teenager, described by his parents as 'beautiful and brilliant', had been told to isolate after one of the seven other students in his flat contracted Covid-19 in September 2020 when virus numbers in Manchester were beginning to rise sharply following the end of the first national lockdown.
Security staff found him dead in his room on October 8, 2020 - with just two of his 14 days of isolation remaining.
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His mother Jane Denney told an inquest in Manchester on Monday her son had been a 'normal happy-go-lucky boy' but he began to suffer from anxiety when he was 14 or 15 and was prescribed the antidepressant fluoxetine when he was about 17.
Her son had a 'busy social life', loved music, gaming, history and politics. He was a member of Amnesty International, said Ms Denney.
She said: "I think I would say his behaviour we thought was quite like a normal teenager. He would shut himself in his bedroom and do whatever he did in his bedroom. By then he started not to be able to sleep very well. He suffered from headaches. He was originally treated for migraines. It developed into anxiety."
The medication 'did help a little bit' and he also saw a therapist although he 'didn't really share too much' with his parents, said Ms Denney.
Finn, from Cambridge, had a 'very close group of friends'.
After passing his A-levels, Finn was accepted at the University of Manchester but decided to defer his place to go travelling with three pals through south east Asia, the inquest was told.
When the global pandemic hit, he was in Vietnam and had to cut short his trip, arriving back in the UK in March 2020 as the nation was plunged into the first national lockdown.
His mother said: "It was an awful time for him because he was going straight into a lockdown. He had expectations for this being a gap year but of course it all got cut short. He came back not to be able to do anything. He couldn't get a job because there was no jobs. It was quite difficult when he came back."
Asked about her son's mood, Ms Denney said: "He seemed to be OK. He was quite angry because they could not do what they had planned to do. It was very frustrating for everybody. He wasn't alone in that. He just took himself off to his room which at that time we didn't think it was any different to what he would normally be."
His mother recalled how Finn called her while he was in Vietnam and was 'quite emotional' about the ending of a two-year relationship with a girl. Her son had told his mother 'I can't live without her - I don't know what I'm going to do', Ms Denney told the inquest.
She continued: "I was aware he was upset but not to the extent it was something he could not overcome. During the phone call, one of his friends who I spoke to said 'OK, he's fine, he's absolutely fine'. It was just an episode he got over very quickly."
Her son stopped taking his medication. Ms Denney said: "He did feel much better and didn't want to take his drugs anymore. Actually he said he didn't think they were doing anything. So he stopped taking them when he got back."
He remained on good terms with and continued to talk to his ex, who was in Chile, she said, adding that she noticed her son was drinking more.
Finn would occasionally 'help himself' to beer and wine in the fridge and take it into his room.
After a family camping trip to Devon, Finn's mother drove her 'excited' son to Manchester on September 17 to start university life. He met up with friends who were also studying in the city.
Ms Denney said: "Before he went, he understood the lectures and tutorials were going to be face-to-face and in person. I think he was looking forward to having a normal start of university. He was just excited at being able to see different things.
"When he first arrived, he seemed absolutely fine because he had met up with his friends and they were exploring and going out as much as they could. But then a girl in his flat tested positive for Covid and they went into lockdown," said Ms Denney, who said her son 'quickly realised' there would be no face-to-face lectures or tutorials and that his education would continue 'remotely'.
Ms Denney recalled how her son sent her a video message showing his room on October 6 where he requested some items and politics books to be sent to him.
The witness continued: "He just seemed fine. He was happy with his room. The flipside of that was that he was shut in his room and he could not do anything. He had been in isolation quite a while before that."
Ms Denney said she tried to contact her son on October 7 and 8 without success, and then contacted the university concerned about Finn.
The inquest heard that Finn had also sent his ex-girlfriend, then in Barcelona, a song timed at about 1.30am on October 7.
Ms Denney said: "It wasn't unusual. She was his ex but they continued to be really good friends. That's how they communicated a lot. For years they communicated through song."
A post mortem examination concluded Finn had died from hanging. He had traces of diazepam in his system but there was no evidence of excessive use of drugs or alcohol, the inquest was told.
Dr Simon Merrywest, director of student experience at the University of Manchester, told the inquest the nation had emerged from a national lockdown earlier in 2020 but 'local restrictions' remained in Manchester in the the autumn.
The university was not under any 'specific restrictions' and had intended to teach face-to-face but the infection rate began to rise in Manchester, said Dr Merrywest.
Following consultation with Manchester's director of public health it was decided that from October 7 contact with students would be reduced 'as much as possible' for a brief period to bring the numbers back down although by October 23 formal restrictions were imposed in Greater Manchester, he said.
Close contacts of any student who tested positive for Covid 19 had to isolate for 14 days, he said.
Finn lived in a flat with seven other students. He had his own bathroom but shared a kitchen and dining area, the inquest was told.
The isolating students were not allowed outside except for one specified period and location each day, said Dr Merrywest.
The witness said 'pastoral support' was offered to students, both from staff at halls of residence and academic advisers, but he conceded there was no evidence Finn accessed such services.
He said a 'life team' was based in each hall of residence and that these were available around the clock. He told the inquest the university's mental health services had been 'enhanced' since 2020, with students able to access support via an app or on the phone 24-hours-a-day.
Recording a verdict of suicide, Coroner Zak Golombek told Ms Denney and Finn's father, Michael Kitson: "From what I have heard, he was lovely and intelligent and clearly someone who was conscious of the world around him."
He noted Finn had logged into one Zoom lecture on September 30 and that there was evidence he had left his flat during isolation but it was not clear how many times this had happened. His swipe card had been used to exit the apartment on October 6.
The coroner noted there had been previous episodes of 'self-harm'.
He concluded: "I'm satisfied on the balance of probabilities that Finn both took his own life and intended to do so when he hanged himself on October 8."
Mr Golombek said he would be writing a 'prevention of future deaths' letter to UCAS after it emerged its application form invited students to tick a box titled 'disability or special needs' if it applied to them. He expressed concern that this box did not stipulate it also encompassed mental health needs. Finn had not ticked that box.
The university has also written to UCAS about the issue. "They have made some improvements over the last couple of years," Mr Merrywest told the inquest.
The inquest heard that it is estimated about half of students with mental health problems do not disclose this to universities.
After the hearing, in a statement Finn's parents said: "Finn was a beautiful and brilliant young man and his family miss him desperately. We are very pleased that this inquest has shone a spotlight on mental health provisions in universities. We welcome the the coroner's prevention of future deaths report on this very important issue."
