Student took her own life after wrongly told she’d failed exam
A“DEVOTED” university student took her own life just hours after being told she had failed her exams and could not progress to the third year of her degree.
Mared Foulkes was in her second year studying pharmaceuticals at Cardiff University when the Covid-19 pandemic hit.
And with the country on lockdown, the 21-year-old had to continue her studies online and via Zoom calls.
However, an inquest heard Ms Foulkes received an automated email from the university hours before her death saying she had failed her recent exams and would not be moving on to the third year, NorthWalesLive reports.
However, her result was later updated by the university to a pass.
Tragically, Ms Foulkes, of Cae Uchaf Farm, Menai Bridge, Anglesey, had already taken her own life before the mistake was rectified.
She died on July 8.
An inquest in Caernarfon yesterday heard one email stated she had failed with 39% when Ms Foulkes had in fact passed the exam with 62%.
The 39% related to an exam she had failed on March 26 and not the re-sit exam she had taken, and passed, on April 24.
Speaking during the inquest her mother, Iona Foulkes, said she felt it was “plain and simple” that her daughter’s actions that day were a “direct result” of receiving the email from Cardiff University.
Iona Foulkes said: “She received an automatic email – there was nothing personal, no phone call, nothing. She believed she had failed and the email said she could not progress with her degree.
“She was devoted to her course and to her work in the pharmacy, she would have been horrified.
“She would have felt like all her dreams and aspirations had finished with that sentence – for a 21-year-old it’s unbelievable.”
The mother-of-two said she felt the course tutor should have been in contact with her daughter directly regarding the results and said parents of students should be made aware of when exam results are due.
The inquest heard Ms Foulkes had gone to work at Rowlands Pharmacy in Caernarfon that morning, having been for a run.
She returned home and had dinner with her parents and brother at about 6pm before telling her mum she was going to Tesco in Bangor to get ingredients to make a cheesecake the following day.
Shortly after leaving the house, Ms Foulkes died.
Iona Foulkes said her daughter made no mention of the fact she was due to receive results that day or that she had received an email saying she had not been successful.
She also said she showed no signs of feeling down in the lead-up to her death.
A post-mortem examination revealed she sustained a head injury in a fall which would likely have caused lethal brain damage.
Prior to taking her own life, Ms Foulkes had texted a housemate about the results, saying: “I did crap.”
Prof Mark Gumbleton, head of Cardiff University school of pharmacy, said Ms Foulkes had taken a practical test on March 26 as part of a module called formulation sciences.
She failed, but went on to re-take it on April 24, when she passed, but her email in July did not take this retest into account.
Prof Gumbleton said this was standard practice, but added: “Lessons are always to be learned. We acted within the regulations, but we need to move towards a simpler system of ratifying grades. The challenge is to avoid a situation where we create confusion. I believe the university is looking at this and changes are going to take place.”
Acting senior coroner Katie Sutherland concluded that Ms Foulkes had intended death to be the outcome of her actions and delivered a suicide verdict.
She said: “On the morning of her death Mared had received examination results.
“One email indicated that she had not successfully completed the year.
“Mared had not sought any help from a GP regarding low mood and there were no suicide notes.
“She did not report suicidal thoughts when she sought assistance from student support in 2019 but did appear distressed and admitted that she was engaging in self harm.
“I don’t consider this to be a cry for help. I do consider that she had the intent to end her life and will return a conclusion of suicide.”
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