Tragedy of girl who said she’d rather kill herself than go to detention
Autistic teen at boarding school ‘suffered anxiety’
AN Autistic teenager who took her own life at a prestigious private school was consumed by anxiety after getting her first ever detention, an inquest heard yesterday.
caitlyn scott-Lee, 16, told a fellow pupil at Wycombe Abbey she would ‘rather kill myself than go to detention’ after vodka was found in her locker.
caitlyn went missing and was found dead at the £44,000-a-year Buckinghamshire school on April 21 last year, the day before the punishment.
in a statement read to the court by the coroner, the pupil who shared caitlyn’s dorm room said: ‘she told me how anxious she was about the detention and having not revised for her exams.
‘caitlyn said she would rather have been suspended than have a detention. she mentioned about wanting to kill herself because of the detention. she was the most depressed and anxious she’d ever been.’
Her father, Jonathan scottLee, opened the three- day inquest with an emotional tribute to his daughter, describing her as a ‘daddy’s girl’ whose memory would live on in the hearts of her loved ones.
He took to the witness stand clutching her favourite soft toy. Mr scott-Lee, a senior banker, flew from Malaysia to attend the inquest at Beaconsfield coroner’s court.
He said that people who take their own life do not want to die, but to stop the pain.
‘i, her very own father, failed to help my daughter envision a life full of hope,’ he said. ‘Whatever she may have felt in the moment leading up to her death, i respect her agency whilst disliking her decision.
‘caitlyn was so much more than autism, Wycombe Abbey and detention.’ A montage of photos of his daughter taking part in various activities and on holidays were shown, accompanied by music composed by her.
Mr scott-Lee’s wife, tara, sat a few feet away from him but they did not speak. she lives in Windsor with their other two daughters.
Ms Joanne Duncan, the school’s headteacher, said staff had been alerted to a nighttime disturbance in caitlyn’s dorm room in March 2023 and were told the two girls involved had been drinking.
she said a search of their lockers was ordered and caitlyn admitted the half- empty bottle of vodka found was hers. A tattoo kit was also found in her room.
she said the teenager seemed to accept her punishment and, following an incident where she walked out of a concert at Eton college to return home, had arranged to see her GP. she was diagnosed with depression and anxiety.
the day before her return from the Easter break, her mother rang the school to say
‘Most depressed she’d ever been’
she was struggling to get ready for the new term. Five days later caitlyn was reported missing and found by staff in a secluded drama room.
Ms Duncan said that staff were trained to look for mental health issues and had rigorous child protection practices in place. she said caitlyn had been diagnosed with autism in 2022 and offered support, but had declined. the inquest continues.
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