An inquest has heard that an 18-year-old autistic student died by suicide in the toilets of his sixth form college, hours after a meeting with the vice principal about his social media posts. Sam Coutts was found dead at Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College in Darlington on January 13.
His mother, Kirsten Coutts, told the inquest held in Crook, County Durham, on Monday (October 19), that the college "failed completely in their duty of care" towards her son. She said Sam would have felt deeply ashamed after the meeting, from which he was allowed to leave unescorted.
Meeting and Immediate Aftermath
CCTV footage showed Sam walking directly from the meeting to the college toilets, where his body was discovered three hours later by the college principal. The meeting concerned social media posts in which Sam revealed a crush on his support worker, Lauren Crosby.
In a statement read to the court, Ms Coutts, a nurse, said: "The college did not care appropriately and acceptably for my son. They failed completely in their duty of care."
Background and Support Arrangements
The inquest heard that Sam, a high-functioning autistic student studying A-levels in psychology, applied science, and biology, had ambitions to study at St John York University. His mother described him as loving, gentle, adventurous, and erudite, noting that change caused him severe anxiety.
On Christmas Day, Sam sent Ms Crosby an email with a link to the song All I Want For Christmas Is You. Ms Crosby stated that upon returning after the holiday, it was agreed Sam may not have understood the implied meaning, and plans were made to transition him to a male support worker.
Ms Crosby subsequently discovered Reddit posts made by Sam under an anonymous handle discussing his crush on her and mentioning taking oxytocin at college to manage his autistic traits. She immediately raised concerns with the college support team.
Day of the Incident
The day before the meeting, Ms Coutts spoke with the college safeguarding lead, urging staff to treat Sam gently. Prior to the meeting, Sam expressed feeling embarrassed, asking his mother if the posts made him seem "creepy and weird", though she reassured him they were respectful.
Following the meeting on January 13 - where Sam was informed his support worker would be changed - Vice Principal Theresa Amarawansa phoned Ms Coutts to report that her son was "positive and fine". Ms Coutts told the court she found that assessment hard to believe.
Despite Sam being recorded as absent from his subsequent psychology class, he was not found for three hours. When Ms Coutts missed a follow-up call while on shift at a hospital and later called back, she was told staff were dealing with an emergency that did not involve her son.
Passing the college later that lunchtime, Ms Coutts noticed emergency services on site but assumed it was unrelated based on the college's assurances. Police arrived at her home shortly after to inform her of Sam's death.
Ms Coutts told the coroner that her son would have felt "a rug had been pulled" by the sudden change in support worker. Addressing the decision to reassign Sam's support, Vicky Wilkinson, head of additional learning support, told the inquest: "The only alternative was to keep Lauren in place and that was not an option. The wording on the Reddit posts left us with significant concerns."
The inquest also heard that three months prior to his death, Sam had successfully intervened to save a family member during a mental health crisis. The three-day inquest was adjourned and is scheduled to resume on Tuesday (October 20).
