Computing student took his own life on campus, inquest told
ANATURALLY gifted mathematician took his own life at Swansea University, an inquest has been told.
Jonathan Proctor, 25, from Cambridge, was studying for a Master’s in gaming and computing when he was found by university staff in his room on June 27, 2018.
There was no indication that Mr Proctor was unhappy at university.
He had last visited his family home in Cambridge over Christmas 2017, where he seemed to have a “positive attitude”, the inquest heard.
The alarm was raised by his close friend Carys Thomas after she had been unable to contact him for two days.
Staff let themselves into Mr Proctor’s room, in Langland, Singleton Park Campus, where they found his body face down on the floor.
He had left a hand-written note in the room.
The last form of communication made by Mr Proctor was a WhatsApp message two days before he was found.
A toxicity report confirmed Mr Proctor died from helium toxicity.
The inquest heard Mr Proctor, who had two siblings, was a healthy and active child, who enjoyed all the “usual things” like camping trips.
When he was 16, teachers had told his parents, John and Francesca Proctor, that their son was “very gifted at maths”.
But his behaviour changed and he became more reclusive after he started Long Road Sixth Form College in Cambridge. A report read to the inquest by investigating officer DC Rice, from South Wales Police, described how Mr Proctor did not seem to be enjoying his subjects at sixth form, and that he had become very “nocturnal”.
His parents had often heard him chatting in his room through the night, where he spent many hours gaming on his computer.
He would leave his room to walk to Morrisons to purchase energy drinks.
He confided in his mother that he was feeling “down” but did not want to take any medication because he feared it would stop his plans to go travelling to Japan after he finished his A-levels.
In 2012 he started studying for a degree at the University of Suffolk. After graduating, he had short-lived stints working at DHL and Capita, before deciding to start a Master’s at Swansea in an effort to progress professionally
Senior coroner Colin Phillips described the case as “extremely distressing” as he concluded death by suicide.
“There were no warning signs and there was nothing that could have been done in the circumstances,” he said.
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