A prestigious university has been instructed to pay £50,000 in compensation to the parents of a vulnerable student who tragically took her own life, as a senior judge ruled that the institution had acted in a discriminatory manner towards her.
In a groundbreaking case that serves as an important precedent for other higher education establishments, the University of Bristol was successfully sued by the parents of Natasha Abrahart under the Equality Act.
Natasha Abrahart was a 20-year-old physics student struggling with severe social anxiety. She died the day before she was scheduled to participate in an oral examination in front of her teachers and peers, which she found terrifying.
Abrahart’s parents, Robert and Margaret Abrahart, asserted that the university’s inadequacies played a significant role in their daughter’s death. They are calling on the government to meet with bereaved parents so that ways of improving care for vulnerable students can be identified.
Outside court, Robert Abrahart, who is himself a retired university lecturer, stated that: “There are no winners or losers. Natasha is dead and the university’s reputation is in tatters. Today, we finally have the truth: the University of Bristol broke the law and exposed our daughter to months of unnecessary psychological trauma.”
Margaret Abrahart, a retired psychological wellbeing practitioner, apologised to her daughter at the cemetery before taking the university to court. Abrahart was one of 11 Bristol students to take their own lives between 2016 and 2018. Her parents found that, as they realised how many other students at Bristol and across the UK were suffering, they had to take action.
Abrahart was found dead in April 2018 at her flat, just before she was due to participate in a major presentation. Her parents sued the university under the Equality Act because they believed it had not taken adequate care of their daughter’s safety, health and wellbeing, and had not done enough to assist her, despite being aware of her disability and significant struggles.
The judgment, delivered at Bristol county court by judge Alex Ralton, ruled that the University of Bristol engaged in direct discrimination against Abrahart, particularly after becoming aware of her mental health disability. It breached its obligations to provide reasonable adjustments in assessing Abrahart and treatment of her, treating her unfairly.
Mr Abrahart remarked that his daughter adored studying her chosen subject and would have made an excellent physicist if the university had not discriminated against her. He explained that his daughter struggled with communication and was unable to talk with individuals she did not know, particularly those in positions of power. This led her to refuse oral assessments, which were the chief cause of her depressive illness, according to medical experts who testified at the proceedings.
Abrahart’s parents claimed that the changes required for her to thrive were self-evident and straightforward; it was unfathomable that the university had fought over the last four years to claim that such actions were not necessary.
Mrs Abrahart declared that the university still was not listening and requested an apology from them. She said: “We truly hope that the University of Bristol will finally take its head out of the sand and recognise that now is the time for change.”
The court heard that Abrahart had experienced a substantial decline in her mental health in the months leading up to her suicide. In February 2018, she emailed a university employee to express her suicidal thoughts and admit that she had attempted suicide to some extent.
The university asserted that they had attempted to propose alternate options to Abrahart for her assessment besides the oral presentation. However, the judge noted that, despite discussing a few ideas, none of these adjustments were put into practice.
Speaking on behalf of the University of Bristol, a spokesperson expressed the deep impact Natasha’s tragic death had on the institution. The school of physics staff had put forth significant effort to aid Abrahart and provide her with specialized mental health support from the NHS. The support included offering alternative options for her assessment to ease her anxiety towards presenting her laboratory findings to peers.
The ruling on this case may affect how other higher education providers provide assistance to their students, thus prompting a thorough review of the decision, including whether or not to appeal it.
To seek help for mental health concerns, Samaritans in the UK can be reached at 116 123 or contacted via email at jo@samaritans.org. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. Other suicide hotlines globally can be found at www.befrienders.org.
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