Parents of students who died by suicide call for legal duty of care to be imposed on universities
In the months before Phoebe Grime took her own life, her mother Hilary warned her university that she was struggling.
Phoebe found lockdown isolating, and when her father was diagnosed with terminal cancer it was another blow.
Ms Grime says Phoebe’s teary phone calls home raised red flags, but that she was left in the dark about how bad her daughter got.
“She did have a suicide plan,” Ms Grime told Sky News, “in October 2020 which was six or seven months before she died, and she told the university about her suicide plan, and they didn’t contact me, so I didn’t know anything about that.”
“I think the hardest thing is, 20 hours before Phoebe took her life, she saw the Newcastle University counsellor” Ms Grime added. “And Phoebe in their notes, Newcastle’s own notes, Phoebe said she wished the pain to end and put her hand on her heart.”
The notes show that in that last session, conducted virtually, the counsellor asked Phoebe further probing questions, but she denied that she was feeling suicidal. Her mother said her denial should not have been taken at face value.
Phoebe’s mother Hilary is campaigning to enforce a greater duty of care on universities
“If they had phoned me, as they said they would, I would have been in that car to Newcastle, and I believe Phoebe would be here today with me. It’s a massive, brutal trauma,” Ms Grime said.
Newcastle University, where Phoebe, who was 20, was studying philosophy, said in a statement: “Phoebe is remembered fondly as a talented and popular student. In her 18 months here, our dedicated wellbeing team provided her with ongoing support and counselling.
“The coroner in Phoebe’s inquest could not identify any point where things could have been done differently by the university or by her private counsellor.
“Nonetheless, we continuously seek to improve support services and work with key partners to help any student struggling with their mental health.”
But Phoebe’s mother and other parents of children who took their own lives while in higher education are calling for a statutory, legal duty of care for students, similar to the duty of care employers have for employees.
Oskar Carrick took his own life while a student at Sheffield Hallam University
It would be more comprehensive than the general duty of care, with safeguarding written into law.
The parents, who formed a group called The Lived Experience for Action Right Now (LEARN) Network, started a petition which gained enough signatures to trigger a debate in parliament, with the higher education minister Robert Halfon saying he had asked all universities to sign up to the mental health charter programme by September 2024.
But while he said that he wasn’t closing the door on future legislation, he stopped short of committing to any new laws.
For Maxine Carrick, that’s not enough. She only found out after her son Oskar’s suicide that he had previously tried to take his life.
And though the inquest into his death heard he initially did not want his family to know, a month after the attempt Oskar gave consent to share information with his mum and GP, but it wasn’t applied retrospectively.
“So they didn’t have to tell us about the suicide attempt they just had to tell us about anything after that,” she told Sky News, but added that she felt the family should have been told there were concerns about Oskar, who was 20, in the run up to his death.
Oskar’s mother feels the university should have informed her there were concerns about her son
A spokesperson for Sheffield Hallam University said: “The university community was saddened by the loss of Oskar, and we would like to again offer our deepest condolences to his family and friends.
“The inquest into Oskar’s tragic death did not reference any failings on the part of the university. The coroner also commented that she was content the university was engaging with discussions surrounding consent on a sector-wide national level.
“We take supporting our students’ mental health and wellbeing extremely seriously. In recent years we have significantly increased resources to provide access to a wide range of support services, whilst every student has access to dedicated advisors.”
Universities UK, a body representing 140 universities across the country, told Sky News that they issued new guidance last year to support universities in taking a more proactive approach involving trusted contacts when there are serious concerns about a student.
But bereaved parents say only legal change will make a true difference.
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.
Prince Andrew was among members of the royal family who attended the traditional Easter Sunday service in Windsor.
It is the second year in a row that the Duke of York has joined the King and Queen at St George’s Chapel, appearing to enter the chapel quickly after his eldest brother’s arrival.
Other members of the royal family, including Princess Anne, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice and Andrew’s ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, also gathered outside the church.
The Duke of York leaving St George’s Chapel. Pic: PA
William and Kate did not attend the annual service, deciding instead to spend time with their children, George, Charlotte and Louis, in Norfolk before they go back to school.
Crowds wished the King and Queen a Happy Easter as they left the chapel, with two children presenting Camilla with a bunch of flowers, before they were driven away.
King Charles and Queen Camilla arriving at St George’s chapel. Pic: PA
The Princess Royal. Pic: PA
Andrew was seen glancing at a member of the crowd, who wished him a “Happy Easter” before the duke walked off with his ex-wife.
The duke has not been pictured at a formal royal family event since last Easter. He missed the royal family’s traditional Christmas gathering at Sandringham amid the controversy surrounding his links to an alleged Chinese spy.
He disappeared from public life after stepping down from official duties in March 2020, following his explosive TV interview with BBC’s Newsnight.
The Duchess of Edinburgh followed by Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice. Pic: PA
Sarah Ferguson. Pic: PA
The Easter sermon is traditionally led by the Archbishop of Canterbury, but was today led by the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, from York Minster.
Mr Cottrell has temporarily taken over the role after Justin Welby announced he was stepping down in November last year, after an independent review found he “could and should” have reported decades-long abuse of men and young boys by his former friend, the barrister John Smyth QC.
Mr Cottrell has also apologised for his handling of the case.
Pic: PA
The Queen waves to crowds in Windsor. Pic: PA
King’s message of ‘faith, hope and love’
Last year’s Easter Sunday service was the King’s first major public appearance after he announced his cancer diagnosis.
The 76-year-old monarch is still receiving treatment for cancer, and last month, spent a short period of time in hospital after experiencing temporary side effects.
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King and Queen attend Maundy service
In his Easter message – a tradition he started when he was the Prince of Wales – Charles reflected on the examples of “great cruelty and great kindness” that “daily come before our eyes” – saying they should remind the world of the importance of the “virtues of faith, hope and love”.
Read more from Sky News:
Pope blesses Easter crowds
London-born teenager to become a saint
He shared the message last week ahead of attending the annual Maundy service at Durham Cathedral, where he presented the Maundy recipients – 76 men and 76 women – with two purses: one red and one white, containing Maundy Money.
The ancient tradition traces back to the 13th century and is given to recipients in recognition of outstanding Christian service and work in their local communities.
Police are appealing for information after seven statues – including one of suffragette Millicent Fawcett – were daubed with graffiti during a trans rights rally in London.
The Metropolitan Police said the criminal damage took place during the protest in Parliament Square, Westminster, on Saturday.
Thousands of people had gathered for an “emergency demonstration” following the Supreme Court ruling earlier this week on the definition of a woman.
The words “Trans rights are human rights” were written on a statue of South African statesman Jan Christian Smuts.
Graffiti on the statue of South African statesman Jan Christian Smuts in Parliament Square. Pic: PA
The Met Police said officers were trawling CCTV footage and no arrests have been made as yet.
Chief Superintendent Stuart Bell said: “Criminal damage and vandalism like this has no place on the streets of London and spoils the area for locals and those visiting.
“While the police support the public’s right to protest, criminality like this is senseless and unacceptable. We are pursuing this and will take action against those responsible.”
Graffiti on the statue of Millicent Fawcett. Pic: PA
Mr Bell said there were plans to remove the graffiti “but this requires specialist equipment and we are confident this will be done shortly”.
“We are keen to speak to those who saw anything on the day and urge anyone with information, pictures or footage to come forward,” he added.
The force has not shared details of which seven statues were defaced. Parliament Square is home to 12 statues of political figures including Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln and Mahatma Gandhi.
Thousands of protesters joined the rally on Saturday. Pic: Daniel Bregman
The Met said it was also dealing with a number of complaints from the public about signs and images shared on social media that were reportedly displayed at the protest.
The force said while officers were investigating the displayed signs and images, they had so far proved to be from historic events, did not take place in London, or did not constitute a criminal offence.
The protest followed a long-awaited judgment delivered on Wednesday, when the UK’s highest court ruled the terms “woman” and “sex” in the Equality Act 2010 “refer to a biological woman and biological sex”.
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Gender ruling – How it happened
It essentially means trans women who hold gender recognition certificates are not women in the eyes of the law.
This means transgender women with one of the certificates can be excluded from single-sex spaces if “proportionate”.
The UK government said the unanimous decision by five judges brought “clarity and confidence” for women and service providers.
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