Student found dead in shared home with £1 coin-sized…

A university student with a "promising future ahead" was found dead in a shared house after being bitten by a spider several days before.

Harry Bolton, 19, who was in his second year at the University of Hull, started to feel unwell following the incident on October 3 last year, and just four days later security staff at his accommodation found him lying on his back in his bed with his eyes and mouth open.

His housemate had alerted staff after not receiving a response to a text message and when there was no reply to a knock on his door. They knocked down his door and Harry was cold to the touch and not breathing, the Mirror reports.

An inquest heard that paramedics checking Harry over following the discovery noticed a £1 coin-sized gaping wound on his back that appeared to be infected. They confirmed he was not breathing and there was no heartbeat and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Harry had told a friend a spider had bitten him on his back four days earlier and he was not feeling well, who advised him to go to the A&E.

The student went to Hull Royal Infirmary at 9.40pm that night with a high temperature and a high heart rate. A blood sample was taken but nothing of high risk was detected - a CRP Blood test revealed a level of 54, which indicated there was inflammation.

Ben Rayer, an A&E consultant at Hull Royal Infirmary, told the court this was not something that would be flagged up by the labs as a matter of immediate risk and at 1.01am, on October 4, Harry decided to self-discharge.

Harry told a hospital staff member that he would be returning home to bed and would take himself to a walk-in centre the next day. At the time staff had no reason to believe he did not have the capacity to discharge himself and he went back to his student house.

However, the following morning was the last time Harry was seen by his housemates.

The inquest heard how people had reported a spider infestation at the student accommodation on Cottingham Road, managed by Ashcourt Student Housing.

Another housemate, Kacper-Krysztof Zydron, gave evidence in court about a similar bite he had received on his neck in August, 2021.

He said it initially started off "hurting a bit", but over a few days it was so bad that he could not move his neck and he went to A&E were he was told to take some paracetamol.

It allegedly did not work and having told his parents about it, they helped him remove pus from the infection. Kacper said that helped relieve the pain and he then called his GP who gave him antibiotics which cleared the infection.

The housemate complained to about a problem and an inspection was carried out by the maintenance team who found no infestation. A clause in the tenancy agreement also stated that low-level pest intrusions were the responsibility of tenants.

After Harry's death, pest control was called for the peace of mind of the tenants and a survey was carried out. Sticky traps were laid out and it was found that there was a normal number of insects in the house given the time of the year.

Coroner Paul Marks determined that Mr Bolton's death was caused by sepsis, due to an acute chest infection caused by an infected wound on his back.

He said: "Had he not been bitten by an invertebrate, possibly a spider, he would not have died at that time. It is an incredibly unfortunate case. He had a promising future ahead of him."

After his death, a JustGiving fundraising site raised more than £1,600 in Harry's memory for Eczema Research.

Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here.

Follow Daily Record

Facebook Twitter

Lynx Limited Edition gift set – click and collect for free at Superdrug!Superdrug|

Sponsored

Shop Now The perfect Christmas present for him – Lynx 5 days 5 body sprays!Superdrug|

Sponsored

Shop Now Sunak planning £40bn windfall tax grab - reportsIW|

Sponsored

UK: Here Are 20 of the Coolest Gifts for 202220 hottest cool gadgets you'll regret not getting before they sell out in the UKTop Gadgets|

Sponsored