A university student was found dying in a shared home by his housemate and later died in hospital, an inquest heard. Lukas Kliment, 23, was studying German and English at Swansea University and was living with fellow students in a house in Sketty at the time of his death.
The hearing on Wednesday was told Mr Kliment had been living with depression and had been struggling with his family's reaction to him coming out as gay. On December 17 last year he tried to take his own life but was found by one of his housemates who immediately called the emergency services. Paramedics found "small signs of life," the inquest heard, and rushed Mr Kliment to Morriston Hospital in Swansea for urgent care. However the injuries to his brain sustained during his attempt to take his own life were too severe for him to recover from and he subsequently died in hospital.
The inquest heard from the attending police officer, PC Samantha Mainwaring of South Wales Police, but there were no members of Mr Kliment's family or any of his housemates present. The hearing was told Mr Kliment was born in October 1998 in the Czech Republic and was a "happy and polite" child. He had lived with his mum, dad, twin sister, and two other siblings and had a "good relationship" with his family growing up and had always enjoyed playing with his siblings.
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As a teenager he attended a local grammar school and had planned on going to university in the Czech Republic after he finished school but he failed the entrance exam and not been accepted to the institution he wished to attend. After taking a gap year his brother advised he applied for university abroad and Mr Kliment applied to study German and English at Swansea University where he was accepted. It was said his studies had been going well and he was an active member of a local church and a popular member of the university's catholic society before his death.
When Mr Kliment's studies were disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic he returned home to the Czech Republic to be with his family but he soon decided he wanted to go back to Swansea. The hearing heard that his family had told him it would be better if he stayed in the Czech Republic and continued his studies online but Mr Kliment travelled back to Wales.
When he returned, the inquest heard, he was "angry and upset" after arguing with his family. Mr Kliment later disclosed to a housemate that he had come out as gay and his family had disowned him because of this.
Over the coming months Mr Kliment became withdrawn and by November 2021 he had become "isolated" and would spend a lot of time in his bedroom but avoided answering his bedroom door. When invited to go out with his housemates he would decline and he once mentioned to a housemate that he was "really depressed", the inquest heard. It was also mentioned that Mr Kliment had appeared to stop taking care of himself and his appearance shortly before his death.
In December Mr Kliment sent a text message to his housemate, who was out at the time, to ask if she had a key to get into their house. She told him she did. Later she returned to their student home and found Mr Kliment hanged in their hallway. A note on an A4 piece of paper, believed to be written by Mr Kliment, was nearby.
Mr Kliment's housemate immediately called a neighbour for help and the emergency services were called to their student house in Eversley Road, Sketty. Paramedics found Mr Kliment was showing "small signs of life" and rushed him to Morriston Hospital. but his brain had been without oxygen for too long for him to be able to recover and he died in hospital at 2.41pm on December 17, 2021.
PC Mainwaring told the inquest there were no suspicious circumstances and no evidence of any third-party involvement in Mr Kliment's death. The inquest also heard that the piece of paper found near Mr Kliment, which was not read to the inquest, referred to his desire to take his own life.
The medical cause of death given by the toxicologist, and accepted by the coroner, was hypoxic brain injury and hanging. Summarising the inquest acting senior coroner for Swansea Neath and Port Talbot Colin Phillips said: "I have heard there was no third-party involvement. He left a note of intent. I have heard he was suffering from depression but not diagnosed with this and he was not taking care of his appearance." Mr Phillips concluded that Mr Kliment died as a result of his hanging, which he did with "the intention of taking his life". He recorded a conclusion of suicide and expressed his condolences to Mr Kliment's family and loved ones.
After the inquest a spokesman for Swansea University said: "We were deeply saddened to hear of the death of Lukas. Our thoughts are with his family and friends and we extend our deepest condolences for their tragic loss.
"Swansea University provides access to a range of support services for students which can be found on our student services webpages and includes self-help resources, counselling, one-off support sessions, NHS courses, Togetherall, a 24/7 digital mental health service, plus access to the university’s wellbeing community and events."
Close friends of Lukas paid their respects to him earlier this year. They described him as an "intelligent person" and a "kind and positive person" who "always put others before himself". In a tribute close friend Sabina Phamova said: "Nobody expected it to happen and his family are deeply upset and hurt. He was a character and was always such a kind and positive person. He always put others before himself.
"When I think of Lukas I just think of him as a bit of sunshine who always put others before himself with a smile on his face. He had a really big heart and love for others. He was a hardworking and intelligent person. When you got to know him, I just can't put it into words, he was so nice and a pleasure to be around. He left a smile on other people's faces. He will be be greatly missed by his friends and family."
For confidential support the Samaritans can be contacted for free around the clock 365 days a year on 116 123.
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