Inquest into Oxford University student death

Alexander Rogers studied at Corpus Christi College

Author: Trevor ThomasPublished 11th Nov 2024

The coroner at the inquest into the death of an Oxford University student is to make a prevention of future deaths report to the Department of Education.

It's after the inquest into 20 year old Alexander Rodgers who died in January.

He reportedly took his own life after reportedly being ostracised following a sexual encounter with an ex, which she shared with their friendship group had made her uncomfortable.

A note had been found where Alexander had revealed his intention to take his life. Shortly afterwards, a member of the public had witnessed a young man matching Alexander’s description jumping from Donnington Bridge.

Emergency services responded to the scene, and Alexander's body was recovered from the river. A post-mortem examination concluded that the cause of death was severe head trauma.

During the inquest into the 20 year old's death the coroner highlighted a report by a GP specialising in mental health commissioned by the college around so called 'cancel culture' on campuses.

The coroner said it was 'possible Alexander felt that – because of this culture – there was no way of getting back into the social group that meant so much to him once he had been excluded'.

The University said had they known about the nature and extent of the culture that has arisen they would have taken formal steps to address it.

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