What happened to Natasha Abrahart? Bristol University contributed to student's suicide by discriminating against her, court finds

On February 13, 2024, the court ruled against Bristol University's appeal that it had not contributed to student Natasha Abrahart's suicide by discriminating against her. Abrahart, who took her life in April 2018, suffered from chronic social anxiety disorder and was due to give an oral presentation to her class on the day of her death.

Disclaimer: The following article talks about suicide which may be triggering for some. Readers' discretion is advised.

On Wednesday, Mr. Justice Linden dismissed the university's appeal that the institution was not made aware of Natasha Abrahart's disability to make an exception for her. This ruling will set a precedent for future cases in how universities will view student assessments.

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Natasha Abrahart took her life on the day of her oral presentation

According to Sky News, Natasha Abrahart was a second-year physics student at Bristol University. She enjoyed going to university, but her debilitating anxiety reportedly hindered her ability to thrive in her field. On the day of her death, she was due to give an oral presentation to her class of 40 in a 329-seat lecture theatre.

Natasha Abrahart was found dead in her flat in April 2018. During her trial, it was revealed she had previously attempted to commit suicide in the winter term and her staff were made aware of her struggles.

As per BBC, Natasha Abrahart's parents, Maggie and Robert, filed legal action against the university, alleging that its discrimination against their daughter on grounds of disability contributed to her death.

During a five-day trial in March 2022, Judge Alex Ralton ruled that the university breached its duties under the Equality Act 2010 by not making "reasonable adjustments" for Abrahart in light of her disability. The university was ordered to pay the family around £50,000 in damages and funeral costs.

The university contested this ruling in December 2023, and filed for an appeal, during which its lawyers claimed the institution acted reasonably "given the importance of maintaining academic standards, and fairness to other students."

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Bristol University's appeal dismissed by judge on Wednesday

According to The Guardian, Mr Justice Linden, who presided over the appeal in Bristol in December 2023, ruled that the university had failed on all seven grounds of appeal.

His judgement, published on Wednesday, found that the university had not provided sufficient evidence that "the assessment of a student's ability to explain laboratory work orally" was "a core competency of a professional scientist."

Natasha Abrahart's father had issued a cross-appeal that the university had a duty of care to his daughter, which the judge dismissed by saying that it was "not necessary" for him to "express any view, one way or the other."

Speaking to Sky News after the ruling, Abrahart's father said:

"It has been a long and painful journey to reach this point, and the University of Bristol has fought us every step of the way. The result is that we now have a judgment from the High Court confirming what we always knew to be true. The University of Bristol failed our daughter, broke the law, and contributed to her death."

Abrahart's mother also said that universities need to "look at what they're doing" and assess "whether their systems and processes are causing unnecessary distress."

Natasha Abrahart's parents hope the government will bring in a statutory duty of care for universities towards their students so incidents like this don't happen again.