A 19-year-old student who discovered his girlfriend dead in her university halls took his own life just weeks later, an inquest has heard. Tom Dingle, from Appley Bridge near Wigan, was found dead in woodland on Christmas Day last year, ending a 12-day search involving police helicopters, drones, dogs and underwater teams.
Tom, a Lancaster University student with a history of mental health problems, had told medical professionals he was suffering from intrusive thoughts and emotional distress about a future without his partner. He was last seen alive in the early hours of December 13, after leaving his parents' home claiming he was going to buy cigarettes. His body was discovered by a walker on December 25.
Just a month earlier, Tom had found his girlfriend, Natasha Braithwaite, also 19, dead in her university bedroom. Natasha, a first-year fine art student, suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, and a coroner recorded her death as drugs-related. Detectives found a metal spoon taped to her desk, indicating heroin use, and toxicology tests showed fatal levels of morphine in her system.
At Preston Coroners Court, Coroner Richard Taylor described Tom as 'a vulnerable young man'. He said: 'It appeared to all who knew him that his mental health was improving to such an extent that he was able to go to university in September 2025. It was there that he met his girlfriend. It was there that, sadly, his mental health also seemed to worsen.'
The court heard that after finding Natasha, Tom's parents drove him home. He returned home on December 9 but told his father he had taken an overdose and spent time in hospital. On December 12, it was agreed he would be seen by an at-home treatment team, but he left the house that night and never returned.
