The University of Bristol has had its appeal against a ruling that it contributed to the suicide of student Natasha Abrahart rejected. Ms Abrahart, who had chronic social anxiety disorder, took her own life in April 2018 on the day she was scheduled to be part of a group presentation at the university. It was found that the university failed to make the reasonable adjustments necessary for Ms Abrahart, and the High Court confirmed the university had broken the law. The judge, however, refused to make a ruling on whether universities have a duty of care towards their students.
Dr Robert Abrahart, the student’s father, said after the ruling that “The University of Bristol failed our daughter, broke the law, and contributed to her death.” The court heard that Ms Abrahart had made a previous suicide attempt during the winter term, and university staff were aware of her struggles. Dr Abrahart brought legal action against the university, alleging that it had contributed to his daughter’s death by discriminating against her on the grounds of disability.
During the trial, the university claimed that it had acted reasonably with respect to maintaining academic standards and fairness to other students. However, in a 62-page judgment delivered by Mr Justice Linden, it was found that the university had failed on all seven of its grounds of appeal. Mr Justice Linden also rejected the university’s argument that the assessment of a student’s ability to explain laboratory work orally was a core competency of a professional scientist.
Standing outside the Bristol Civil Justice Centre, Ms Abrahart’s mother, Maggie, addressed the vice-chancellor of the University of Bristol, stating “We want you to think how you would wish your son or daughter to be treated at university if they were disabled and needed their rights protecting”. The family has also been campaigning for Parliament to pass a statutory duty of care, requiring all universities to act with reasonable care and skill so as to avoid causing harm to students
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