Inquest told hanged student had debts

A LEEDS Beckett University student who was in debt to payday loan companies and behind with his studies was found hanged, an inquest heard.

Wakefield Coroner’s Court heard 21-year-old year one human geography student Naseeb Chuhan was found dead at an address in Leeds on May 28 last year.

Naseeb’s father Kuljit Chuhan told the inquest he had discovered after his son’s death that he been granted a number of payday loans.

Mr Chuhan said: “In my mind what begins as something quite innocent and just as a one-off and when you get to the end of that you realise you have overspent. I think it something that slowly creeps up. I think that’s how payday loans work.”

Priscilla Preston, director of services for students at Leeds Beckett University, told the inquest the university has “a lot of students” who experience debt.

Julie-Anne Luck, for Naseeb Chuhan’s family, asked her: “Are you aware of payday loan companies targeting the student population?” Miss Preston replied: “Yes.”

The inquest heard Naseeb started studying at Leeds Beckett in September 2015 and completed all the work required of him up to the end of that year.

But his studies started to suffer after Christmas and he failed to hand in coursework and did not attend an exam in January 2016 or the resit in April.

The inquest heard Naseeb went to see a locum GP on May 25 and said he had been feeling down for several years. Later that day he spoke to a student wellbeing officer at Leeds Beckett University’s hub and an appointment was made for him to speak to a counsellor but he did not attend.

The inquest continues.