A 19-year-old student found dead at his flat in Salford took his own life after telling university support services he 'fantasised' about ways he could kill himself, an inquest has heard.
Benjamin Sharrott was found dead at his flat in John Lester Court student accommodation on Saturday November 19, 2022. At a hearing on Monday April 3, Bolton Coroners Court heard how Benjamin, from Nuneaton, had moved to Salford in 2021 to study Music Performance at the University of Salford.
The inquest heard how the 19-year-old presented to university counselling services in September 2022 with 'anxiety and low mood', writing in his triage form that he thought about taking his life 'most nights' but treated the thoughts as 'more of a fantasy'. Coroner John Pollard said he had 'clearly been able to disguise' his issues from his parents and the university for 'some considerable time'.
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Benjamin was found in his university room on November 19 by Andrew Butterworth, a community officer based at his student accommodation. He had unlocked his door after Benjamin's friends expressed concern that they had not heard from him since Friday, November 18, the inquest heard.
Emergency services were called and the 19-year-old was tragically pronounced dead. A post-mortem examination found a blood alcohol level of 100mg per 100ml - enough for an average social drinker to be 'moderately intoxicated', according to Dr Mohammed Bashir, consultant histopathologist at Salford Royal Hospital. Later, journal entries were found that showed 'methodical' planning behind his death.
Giving evidence, Helen Sharrott - Benjamin's mother - said he had been 'nervous' about returning to Salford for his second year, but that he was moving in with friends and that none of his concerns appeared 'particularly significant'.
However, she told the inquest how, as parents, herself and his father worried about an 'underlying social problem' after Benjamin expresed anxiety to them, which was 'a new thing'. His dad explained how Benjamin had told them he thought he may be autistic after taking an online test.
The inquest heard how Benjamin referred himself to Salford University's counselling and wellbeing team in September 2022, describing 'anxiety and low mood'. When asked on a referral form whether he was currently experiencing suicidal thoughts, he wrote: "Yes. Most nights I think about ways I could committ suicide. I don't treat these thoughts super seriously. I treat them more as intrusive and passing even if I do go into detail about how I coud do it, they are more of a fantasy."
Coroner Pollard said it was 'quite clear' from his triage form that Benjamin had both the ideation and the intent of suicide.
In a session the next day, Benjamin told a counsellor how he had not experienced mental health problems before leaving home. Mr Andrew Hartley, Director of legal and compliance at the University, said the counselling team's notes suggested Benjamin was 'confident' he would not commit suicide. The inquest heard how he was placed into the 'amber' risk category, which meant details of the consultation were not shared with his GP practice.
The inquest heard how Benjamin called Mrs Sharrott in October 2022, telling her he thought he was having symptoms of a heart attack. She told him it sounded like a panic attack, and recommended he get in touch with his GP. His parents recalled visiting him a few days later and feeling he was 'a bit down'.
Coroner Pollard said Benjamin had 'clearly' followed Mrs Sharrott's advice, and contacted his GP regarding 'heart palpitations'. In a telephone consultation with Dr Omar Irshad at Langworthy Medical Practice, he decribed 'an irregular hearbeat feeing which left him lightheaded or unsteady at times'.
Asked by Coroner Pollard if he had thought that Benjamin may have been suffering from panic attacks, Dr Irshad said the 19-year-old had said he felt 'happy' during the appointment, and that his symptoms 'didn't seem to fit with him having particular anxiety or a panic attack at the time'.
He told the inquest if he had known that Benjamin had expressed concerns over anxiety at the university counselling service, it may have made him more likely to ask after his mental health.
Coroner Pollard said it was 'clear as a pikestaff' that information obtained by the university's counselling service should have been shared with Benjamin's GP surgery, and asked Salford University to consider making changes to their approach to sharing student health information between services.
He concluded that Benjamin's death was a suicide, saying he gave 'no real clues' to his tutors or parents that he was struggling.
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