Sam Coots inquest hears mother criticise college over autistic student's care
Sam Coots' mother told an inquest that Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College handled a meeting badly before the autistic A-level student was found dead in college toilets.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
An inquest into the death of autistic A-level student Sam Coots has heard his mother criticise how Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College handled a meeting with him before he was found dead on campus.
Sam, 18, was studying psychology, biology and applied sciences at the college in Darlington, County Durham. His body was found in the toilets of the building on 6 January. He had been reported missing and emergency services were called after concerns were raised about his welfare. The hearing has been told it is believed he took his own life.
The inquest, at Crook Civic Centre in County Durham, heard the discovery was made hours after a meeting between Sam and college staff. His mother, Kirsten Coots, claims the meeting was handled badly. She said Sam had autism and was in an extremely vulnerable state of mind at the time.
The hearing was told posts had been found that Sam made in an online forum expressing feelings for his support worker and being fixated with his autism. His mother described him as adventurous, loving, gentle and quiet. She said he was extremely good at masking when he was feeling low.
Kirsten Coots said she believed Sam could have been helped if he had been cared for that day. Representatives from Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College are due to give evidence at the three-day inquest, which continues in County Durham.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| College representatives were due to give evidence at a three-day inquest. | |
| Sam Coots was found dead in the toilets at Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College on 6 January. | |
| Sam Coots' mother said that a meeting with college staff had been handled badly. | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
The lunchtime bulletin focused on the mother's criticism of the college and built the report around evidence from the inquest at Crook Civic Centre. It gave detail on Sam Coots' autism, his online posts and his mother's description of him, then noted that college representatives were still due to give evidence. The tone was personal and sympathetic to the family while keeping to the hearing's account.
- “If Sam had been cared for that day, she claimed, I believe he could have been helped.”
- “He was, she said, extremely good at masking when he was feeling low.”
- “Representatives from the college are due to give evidence here as this three-day inquest in County Durham continues.”
Who was on air
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- 13:39 BST
Kirsten Coots, his mother
ITV Lunchtime News · Mon 19 Oct
Broadcast Timeline
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