Bristol University found to have breached legal duties over Natasha Abrahart suicide

The mother of Natasha Abrahart said she hopes that the University of Bristol will “finally take its head out of the sand” after it was found to have breached the law in its treatment of her daughter.

The 20-year-old physics student took her own life in April 2018, two months after she had been diagnosed with chronic social anxiety disorder.

Her body was found in her flat on the day she was due to give a presentation to students and staff in a 329-seat lecture theatre. She had made university staff aware that she was struggling and experiencing anxiety and panic attacks in relation to oral assessments that formed part of a laboratory module.

A landmark judgement at Bristol County Court on Friday found the university had breached its duties to make reasonable adjustments to the way it assessed Natasha; engaged in indirect disability discrimination against her and treated the once high-flying student unfavourably because of the consequences of her disability.

In a 46-page written judgment, judge Alex Ralton ruled that these breaches led to her death, noting that “it was accepted by the medical experts that the primary stressor and cause of Natasha’s depressive illness was oral assessment”.

The university has said it will take time to reflect on the ruling and might appeal. The institution has also been ordered to pay damages of £50,518.

Judge Ralton found that adjustments, such as removing the need for oral assessments altogether, assessing Natasha in the absence of her peers or using a smaller venue, were reasonable and should have been put in place.

He observed that “whilst a few ideas” regarding possible adjustments were “floated” by the university, “none were implemented”.

Speaking after the judgement that concluded a long-running civil case challenging the university’s role in Natasha’s death, her parents called for an apology and said they hoped the university would now recognise change is needed.

Natasha’s father, Robert Abrahart, a retired university lecturer, said: “Today, 1,481 days after Natasha took her own life on the day of an assessment she simply couldn’t do, after years of protestations from the university that it did all it could to support her, after having battled our way through an inquest and a civil trial, we finally have the truth:

“The University of Bristol broke the law and exposed our daughter to months of wholly unnecessary psychological trauma, as she watched her grades plummet, and her hopes for the future crumble before her eyes.”

Her mother, Margaret Abrahart, a retired psychological wellbeing practitioner, said: “We really hope that the University of Bristol will finally take its head out of the sand and recognise that now is the time for change.

“We are ready to work with them to help ensure that the failings which led to Natasha’s death aren’t repeated so other families don’t have to suffer as we have suffered.  We hope they will apologise for the role they played in Natasha’s death and will take us up on our offer of help.”

The University of Bristol has said it will take time to reflect on the ruling and might appeal – photo: University of Bristol

Following the judgement, the University of Bristol issued a statement saying: “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.

“Like all universities, schools and colleges, we are deeply concerned by the increase of mental health issues amongst our young people nationally. We do our very best to support any student who is struggling with their mental health and have a wide range of services available.

“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 her 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.”

The university says it has brought in additional measures to support students, including an opt-in policy to alert a nominated contact when there are serious concerns about a student’s wellbeing and “more robust procedures to assess students’ fitness to study”.

The statement concluded: “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.”

Main photo: Robert and Margaret Abrahart (via Crowdjustice campaign site)

Read more: Evelyn Welch to become first woman to lead University of Bristol

Listen to the latest Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast: