THE parents of an Aberystwyth student who took his own life earlier this year believe their son was let down by mental health services providers and the university.

An inquest into the death of Stefan James Osgood, 21, who was found dead at his Penglais Farm student accommodation in the early hours of Wednesday, 9 March, returned a verdict of suicide while suffering from a depressive illness.

The inquest heard that Mr Osgood, who was the vice-president of the Aber Snow club, had left a note underneath his door requesting whoever found it to call university porters.

Upon attendance of the porters, Mr Osgood was found dead due to self-inflicted wounds.

Speaking to the Cambrian News after his inquest, Mr Osgood’s mother Heidi Moulton, who lives in Wallasey, Merseyside, said she was unhappy with both local mental health services and the university because she believes they should have spotted the signs that something was wrong.

“He went to Aberystwyth Hospital on 7 December having self harmed and with ideation of suicide,” she said.

“The crisis team let him go after a 45-minute assessment with no follow up.

“They informed his GP, who also didn’t follow up to check he was okay, and also [Aberystwyth University] student services.

“They managed to see him, but he told them he was fine and they believed him and left it at that.

“He stopped going to lectures, didn’t pay his rent and not one of those things flagged up any further intervention from Student Services.

“The coroner told me that every year he is dealing with another student suicide and we find it unsurprising and wholly unacceptable.

“The university have been very good to us since his death and are trying to improve support, but is it enough?”

Dr Warren Lloyd, associate medical director for Mental Health & Learning Disabilities Services at Hywel Dda University Health Board, said: “Whilst we accept the outcome of the inquest, we hope the information provided by the health board has gone some way to helping the family understand the support and advice provided to Mr Osgood.”

An Aberystwyth University spokesperson said: “The university has undertaken a period of reflection and has engaged with Stefan’s family throughout.

“The welfare of our students is of paramount importance to us and providing good support services is a core part of our offer to all students, parents and staff.”

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