Family’s call to prevent more student tragedies
MAN’S LOVED ONES WANT UNIVERSITIES RULE CHANGES AFTER SUICIDE
THE family of a student found dead in his flat are calling for a change in the way universities act over unreported absences.
Harrison De George, aged 23, was found by a flatmate at their apartment in Salford.
His older sister Izzy, 25, has now set out to change in the way that universities respond when students fail to turn up for lectures.
She said: “On the day of my brother’s suicide, he didn’t turn up to placement.
“He was supposed to be teaching a maths class at 11am, but the placement didn’t notify the universities placement team that Harrison had not turned up to placement and hadn’t notified them of his absence.
“The university were unaware of Harrison’s absence from placement until we called them the next day to inform them that Harrison had passed away.”
Budding teacher Harrison had been studying for his PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education) at Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) when he was found unresponsive in his flat on December 7.
Izzy said she was shocked when she looked into MMU’s policies regarding unreported absences.
She said: “We looked into the student handbook at the university Harrison
was studying at and found limited information on student wellbeing. We also found that unless a student was absent and had not contacted the placement for two consecutive days placements were not required to contact the university until the third day.”
MMU has since strengthened its policy on PGCE absences.
Now, if a student teacher has an unnotified absence, the placement must inform the placements team on the morning of the first day of absence.
The placement team should log this and immediately notify the placement partnership co-ordinator. They should also try and make contact with the student as soon as possible.
Izzy said: “I believe that Harrison’s university went above and beyond to make changes to the way they support their students on placement.
“However, I expect that a number of universities have outdated policies and support methods for students on placement.
“Suicide at universities and within young males is at an all-time high, and we need to ensure placement students are being supported appropriately.”
A spokesman for MMU said: “Our thoughts remain with Harrison’s family and friends.
“Student welfare is always our top priority and we are keen to explore any steps we can take to enhance the support we offer.”
THE wife of a man who died on a smart motorway has shown his image on a giant screen outside a police headquarters as she called for an investigation into Highways England over his death.
Claire Mercer unveiled the picture of her late husband, Jason Mercer, outside the gates of South Yorkshire
Police’s HQ building in Sheffield on what would have been his 46th birthday.
The force said it has appointed a senior officer to review evidence relating to the collision in which Mr Mercer died, along with another man, Alexandru Murgeanu, on the M1 in Sheffield after they stopped following a minor collision. But it said it is still waiting for the files from Sheffield coroner David Urpeth, who told an inquest that “a lack of hard shoulder contributed to this tragedy” and that smart motorways “present an ongoing risk”.
Mrs Mercer, 44, said she was pleased the force has committed resources to a review but she said she wanted a full investigation. She said she wanted the hard shoulder reintroduced on all smart motorways.
Highways England is proposing to amend the Highway Code in an attempt to boost smart motorway safety.
A TEENAGE boxer ‘ducked’ as he tried to avoid gunshots being fired at the car he was travelling in just moments before he died, a court has heard.
Three men are on trial accused of murdering Cole Kershaw, 18, on Chesham Road, Bury, on the evening of August 12 of last year. They all deny the charge.
A fourth man denies possession of a firearm.
The trial at Manchester Crown Court has previously heard how Cole, a promising boxer, was shot while trying to run away from a car crash following a chase.
Prosecutors allege he was gunned down in the street amid an ‘ongoing dispute’ between his friend, Spencer Woods, and one of the defendants, Kamran Mohammed, over a girl.
Yesterday, jurors heard more about the alleged chase from two of Cole’s friends, who are said to have been travelling in the same car as him. One of the friends, Arron Rigby, told the court he was at a house party with Cole and others when he heard Cole say something to Spencer Woods.
In evidence read out by prosecutor James Gelsthorpe, Mr Rigby said the three of them then climbed into Mr Woods’ Ford Mondeo, along with two other men, and started chasing after a BMW.
But, Mr Rigby told the court, at some point the BMW began chasing after the Mondeo.
He added: “Every time we got to a turn, the BMW banged into us.”
The witness said he then heard something hit the Mondeo followed by ‘two gunshots.’
After the second shot, he said those in the Mondeo ‘panicked.’
He told the court that he, Cole and another man were sitting in the back seat and all three tried to ‘duck down.’
The witness added: “They had their heads in my lap. I could hardly get my head down.
“I was sure I was going to get a bullet in the back of my head.”
As the car travelled along Chesham Road, the witness said it hit another car and someone in the Mondeo shouted for everyone to ‘get out.’
Mr Rigby said that as the group exited the vehicle, he heard another shot.
He told the court: “Cole said something like ‘he got me, bro. He got me.’ We kept running, but his legs were going to jelly and I put my arm round his shoulder.
“I was sure we were going to get caught by whoever was shooting at us, so I wanted us to keep running.”
The witness told the jury that as they entered a back street, Cole ‘stumbled and fell to the ground.’
He added: “I could hear him shouting ‘help me, help me.’”
The court is told that Mr Rigby carried on running with Mr Woods, but turned and saw Cole ‘struggling to get up.’
The witness added: “Spenny was saying ‘please Cole, get up for me.
“I went over and pulled his top up and could see blood on his chest. I tried to move him on his side. I was screaming.”
Mr Rigby told the court he dialled 999 as members of the public tried to administer first aid to Cole.
Kamran Mohammed, 19, of Kingsdale Close, Bury; Mohammed Izaarh Khan, 21, of Palace Street, Bury; and Khayam Ali Khurshid, 28, of Eton Hill Road, Bury, all deny murder.
Mohammed has pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
All three deny a second charge of possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life.
Raheem Hall, 19, of Hardfield Street, Heywood, denies possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life, but admits assisting an offender.
● Proceeding