Sam Coutts, an 18-year-old student with high-functioning autism, was found dead in the toilets of Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College in Darlington in January, shortly after a meeting with the vice principal about social media posts in which he expressed having feelings for his support worker. His mother, Kirsten, told an inquest in Crook, County Durham, that the college failed her son.
Mother's Statement to the Coroner
In a statement summarised by the coroner, Ms Coutts said: "The college did not care appropriately and acceptably for my son. They failed completely in their duty of care." She said Sam would have felt humiliated after the meeting, which he was allowed to leave unaccompanied. CCTV footage showed he went directly from the meeting to the toilets, where his body was found three hours later by the college principal.
The inquest heard that Sam had previously been bullied at secondary school and made great efforts to conceal his autism because he did not want to be treated differently. He was studying A-levels in psychology, applied science and biology, subjects he hoped to continue at St John York University.
Reddit Posts and Support Worker Change
Ms Coutts said the college approached her after a support worker reportedly discovered Reddit posts in which Sam discussed having a crush on her. In the posts, he also mentioned taking oxytocin at college in an apparent attempt to manage his autistic traits. Ms Coutts, a nurse, expressed doubts about how the support worker came across the posts, noting that Sam's account was not under his real name.
On January 13, the college held a meeting where Sam was told he would be assigned a different support worker. The day before, his mother had spoken with the safeguarding lead, urging staff to handle Sam delicately. Before the meeting, Sam told his mother he felt embarrassed and ashamed, and asked whether the Reddit posts made him appear "creepy and weird". She reassured him they did not and affirmed they were respectful.
College Response and Discovery
After the meeting, vice principal Theresa Amarawansa phoned Ms Coutts to say Sam was "positive and fine". Ms Coutts said: "I said I find that hard to believe and the call ended." She later missed a call from the college while on shift at a hospital, informing her that Sam was absent from his psychology lesson. When she tried to return the call, she was told staff were handling an emergency but was assured it did not involve her son.
After leaving work at lunchtime, Ms Coutts saw police and paramedics at the college but reassured herself that it did not involve her son, as she had been told over the phone. Police later arrived at her home to inform her of Sam's death. Ms Coutts described her "vulnerable" son as likely feeling as though "a rug had been pulled" when he was told about the change in support worker.
Support Worker's Account
The inquest received a statement from support worker Lauren Crosby, who said Sam had emailed her on Christmas Day with a link to Mariah Carey's song "All I Want For Christmas Is You". Upon returning to college after the holiday break, it was agreed that Sam might not have grasped the song's implied meaning, but there would be a gradual transition towards him working with another, male, support worker with whom he had already built a positive rapport.
Ms Crosby said she later came across Sam's Reddit posts while browsing the platform, though she was unsure why they appeared on her feed. She promptly raised her concerns with the support team. Vicky Wilkinson, head of additional learning support, said the posts had raised alarm. When asked about the potential harm to Sam from changing his support worker, she 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, expected to last three days, has been postponed until Tuesday.
