She rarely spoke in class and suffered with a history of self harm but did not talk to her parents about her issues or seek medical attention. He said she would 'shut down when made the centre of attention or when confronted by people in authority.'
A pre-inquest review yesterday heard how she had the university's Student Health Service of her issues Natasha Abrahart was only 20 when she was found dead in her flat on April 30 this year. Mr Burton said that although she made friends, she rarely socialised outside her home, and if she did go out she was reliant on friends to order drinks and food for her. Mr Burton added: 'She would shut down when made the centre of attention or when confronted by people in positions of authority.'ĭespite her social anxiety, the court hear Ms Abrahart had enrolled on a four-year masters course at the University of Bristol, and was in her second year when she died. He added: 'I felt like, "Why is no one helping me here?"' Mr Palan admitted becoming quite frustrated and angry, saying: 'I felt angry with the university, with her parents, with myself for not doing more.' 'If I made attempts to tell anyone, Natasha wholly resisted it,' he said. He said he knew the university was aware of one suicide attempt by Ms Abrahart, but not of a subsequent one. Rajan Palan, a friend of Ms Abrahart's, accompanied her to several medical appointments and did his best to persuade her to access services. The parents, pictured at her grave, raised more than £75,000 online to fund lawyers to represent them at the inquest into her death 'I made the very difficult decision to trust other people.' Giving evidence, Ms Abrahart's mother Margaret said: 'I knew something was upsetting her hugely - if I questioned her I knew it was going to be very stressful. He said she surrounded herself with a small group of long-standing friends while growing up, but did not talk much. She had grown up fascinated by physics and had taught herself computer programming. Jamie Burton QC, for the claimants, said Ms Abrahart had been acutely shy from childhood. They also claim she was a victim of indirect discrimination and suffered discrimination as a disabled student. Her parents Robert and Margaret are suing the university, claiming it failed to deliver on its duties to their daughter under the Equalities Act.Īt a hearing at the Bristol Civil Justice Centre, the couple alleged the university failed to make reasonable adjustments for Ms Abrahart's mental disability. In February 2018 she emailed one university employee saying: 'I've been having suicidal thoughts and to a certain degree attempted it.' She had made a previous suicide attempt earlier in the winter term, and university staff were aware she was struggling. Natasha Abrahart, 20, was found dead in her flat in April 2018, the day before she was due to take part in a group talk to staff and students in a 329-seat lecture theatre. The parents of a 'hard-working and high-achieving' student who took her own life have launched a landmark civil case accusing the University of Bristol of having a 'direct role in her death' by making her give a public presentation despite her chronic social disorder. Natasha Abrahart, a student at the University of Bristol, was found hanged in her flat
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