Parents say university failed teenager who killed herself after weeks of abuse
The parents of a student who killed herself after her boyfriend abused her have accused the University of Aberdeen of failing her. Emily Drouet, 18, killed herself at her hall of residence in March 2016 following weeks of physical, verbal and psychological abuse by her boyfriend.
Fiona and Germain Drouet said the university, where their daughter was in her first year of studying law, had failed in their duties by not intervening.
Angus Milligan, a 21-year-old psychology student, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to three separate assault charges against Ms Drouet. He admitted choking her and repeatedly slapping her. He also confessed to sending her offensive, indecent, obscene and menacing texts. Five other charges, including one alleging that he tried to choke her minutes before she killed herself, were dropped due to a lack of evidence.
Ms Drouet’s face was heavily bruised when she consulted a student resident assistant a week before killing herself. Despite the university staff member suspecting she had been abused, they did not intervene and neither the police nor Ms Drouet’s parents were contacted.
The university said staff only suspected Ms Drouet’s abuse the week before her death and said the teenager had told staff she did not want any action taken.
Ms Drouet’s mother told Sky News: “Why, when the university experienced him screaming and shouting abuse at Emily ... they just told him to shut up, sent him back to his room, sent Emily to her room without any concern for her care.” She added: “They left Emily in the same halls as him for it to happen again.”