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Autistic Student's Tragic Death: School "Failed Him"
19 Oct
Summary
- High-functioning autistic student died at college in January.
- Mother alleges college failed in its duty of care.
- Support worker change followed student revealing a crush.
A high-functioning autistic student, Sam Coutts, tragically died at Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College in January. His mother, Kirsten Coutts, told the coroner the institution "failed completely in their duty of care" towards her son. Sam, who was 18, was found deceased in the college toilets following a meeting.
During this meeting, Sam was informed that his support worker would be changed after he had disclosed a crush on her. His mother stated that Sam would have felt ashamed and that the college did not appropriately care for him. He had previously tried to mask his autism and avoid being treated differently.
Sam's mother was alerted to college concerns after Reddit posts discussing his crush were reportedly found. Despite her urging staff to treat Sam gently, he was told about the support worker change. The vice principal initially reported Sam as "positive and fine" after the meeting, but he was later found deceased three hours later.
