Uni student took her own life in city hotel

A “BRIGHT” and “bubbly” university student took her own life at a hotel in Cardiff just days after visiting home for Mother’s Day.

Omojola Ogundipe was in the second year of her economics undergraduate degree at Bristol University when staff at the Citrus Hotel in Bute Terrace, Cardiff, discovered her in a fourth-floor room on Wednesday, March 14, this year after she missed her check-out deadline.

The 20-year-old, from Hounslow, was a leading member of Bristol University’s Gospel Choir Society and was described as as campaigner on environmental and human rights issues, including homelessness.

An inquest was held into her death at Pontypridd Coroner’s Court on Thursday.

In a statement read out to the court her father Kurle Ogundipe said he last saw his daughter when she returned home for Mothering Sunday days before he received news of her death.

Mr Ogundipe said: “I last saw Omojola on March 11 when she returned home for the weekend. She appeared her usual bubbly self.”

Mr Ogundipe said his daughter returned to Bristol on the same day. He later received a WhatsApp message from her to say she had returned home to her student flat in the city.

Police informed him of his daughter’s death three days later. He said the family were not aware of any ill health and did not think she suffered from depression or mental health problems.

He added: “We are absolutely devastated about the loss of my daughter. We are still trying to process what has happened.”

PC Gemma Ticks of South Wales Police was on duty at Cardiff Bay Police Station when she was called to a person found hanged in a room in the Citrus Hotel at 11.25am on March 14.

Giving evidence PC Ticks said: “When I entered the room I saw it was immaculate. The bed was unslept in, there was a red suitcase on the floor, and a mobile phone left charging.”

PC Ticks explained paramedics had discovered Miss Ogundipe in the bathroom. They had declared life extinct 11.36am that morning.

The body was later identified and an investigation was carried out to establish Miss Ogundipe’s movements in the days leading up to her death.

PC Ticks said: “The hotel room had been booked prior to the visit on February 18, 2018, via a third-party website called Expedia – around three weeks to a month before the event.

“It was booked for the night of the 12th and 13th of March with check-out on the 14th just for one person.”

On the evening of her arrival Miss Ogundipe booked an Uber taxi that had taken her from Sophia Gardens to the hotel at about 3.50pm, PC Ticks said. CCTV recorded her entering the hotel shortly after wearing the same clothing she had been wearing when she was found.

Her electronic room key recorded her entering her room three times that evening at 4.03pm, 5.31pm and 11.04pm.

PC Ticks said Omojola at also booked an Uber taxi to Cathays and is thought to have visited Milgi’s vegetarian restaurant.

Her last known movements were when she returned to her hotel room at 11.04pm on March 12. She was discovered two days later.

Miss Ogundipe’s close friend Hannah Agbeyegbe said they remained in touch after she had moved to Bristol to study in 2016.

A written statement read out to the court said: “She was an independent person. Quite private. She didn’t really talk a lot about her personal life.

“It was around this time (when she moved to Bristol) that she disclosed to me that she was depressed and she had been having suicidal thoughts.”

Summing up, coroner Christopher Woolley accepted the cause of death given by consultant pathologist Dr David Thomas at the University Hospital of Wales as death by hanging.

Mr Woolley said: “I am satisfied that the officer has followed up all the possible leads she could have done, examined all the records, and from that she has managed to piece together some detail of the last few days of Omojola’s life.

“I am satisfied from the thorough police investigation that there were no third parties. There is no evidence that she was cajoled by any third party. There’s no evidence that she met anyone and there is no evidence that anyone entered her room.

“She booked the hotel around three weeks in advance and it is not clear why she chose the Citrus Hotel but she clearly planned this in Cardiff.”

Mr Woolley said he was satisfied Miss Ogundipe intended to take her own life and recorded a conclusion of suicide.

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