Pendrous death to remain a mystery
Mason Pendrous’ family will never know why he died, with a coroner ruling that the cause of his death cannot be determined due to the decomposition of his body.
The 19-year-old University of Canterbury student’s body was found at Christchurch’s Sonoda Village on September 23.
Coroner Sue Johnson earlier ruled that the teenager was dead for up to a month before he was found.
‘‘The delay in finding Mason’s body meant that the cause of death is unable to be determined. His family will never know what he died of,’’ Johnson said yesterday.
Pendrous’ body was found in room 209 of Sonoda’s Hinoki Building. The accommodation was managed by Campus Living Villages (CLV). Police carried out an investigation and found no evidence he had died anywhere else, meaning he died in the room.
Forensic pathologist Dr Christopher Lawrence did a full autopsy on Pendrous’ body. He noted the teen’s body was decomposed and saw no injuries or obvious cause of death.
The pathologist could not exclude some form of cardiac arrhythmia. Because of the condition of the teen’s body, it was not possible for Lawrence to assess some infective causes of death such as influenza, pneumonia, myocarditis or meningitis.
There was medicine for gastrointestinal upset in the room and Pendrous’ body was found close to a heater, which was on and had been turned up. Lawrence said this could be consistent with having a fever.
The coroner said it was impossible to know exactly what day Pendrous died between August 26 and September 10.
‘‘Given Dr Lawrence’s evidence that he cannot exclude infective causes of death, I cannot rule out that before his death Mason was ill in his room.
‘‘This is an issue I will consider during my inquiry into the circumstances of Mason’s death.’’
University of Canterbury vicechancellor Professor Cheryl de la Rey said the university was ‘‘devastated’’ by the findings and expressed her condolences to Pendrous’ friends and family.
‘‘The university is committed to taking whatever action is necessary to make sure this never happens again.’’
Pending an independent report by former High Court judge Kit Toogood, QC, the university had reviewed its processes and put in place further steps to ensure appropriate pastoral care was available for all students in UCaffiliated accommodation, she said.
‘‘Our students, parents, wha¯ nau and schools can be assured that we take the health, safety and wellbeing of our students very seriously.’’
The university will not support the offering of semi-independent accommodation packages for first-year students next year. Apartment-style accommodation will be available only with enhanced support, which includes one residential adviser (RA) living on site for every 25 students.
New measures will be introduced to further improve support for all students on campus, not just those in residential accommodation, de la Rey said.
The measures include an early alert system, which would show staff and students how engaged they were with the university’s learning systems and their academic progress.
‘‘Dedicated UC resources will be responsible for monitoring and escalating issues as they arise. This will enable students who need more support to be identified and followed up more quickly.’’
The university will also introduce a a buddy system for first-year students to help each other as they transition into campus life.
An expanded induction programme covering student services, the student code of conduct, consent awareness, belonging, inclusiveness and alcohol, drug and risks for first-year students will also be offered.
‘‘The goal is to increase understanding and awareness for first-year students to maximise their wellbeing and ensure they understand how to access all relevant support services available.’’
De la Rey said the university had formally asked CLV to respond to several areas of concern.
The university also expected Toogood would make further recommendations, and any issues would be addressed before the 2020 academic year began, she said.