Inquest hears of teen’s withdrawal
Coroner says student lay dead for two to four weeks in uni room
Mason Pendrous last used his swipe card to get into his university accommodation on August 12. For the next fortnight, it appears that nobody had seen the 19-yearold leave his room but his online activity “increased substantially” until his last contact with a fellow gamer on August 24.
The University of Canterbury commerce student’s body would be found nearly a month later.
It has raised questions about how a young student could go unnoticed and be holed up in his room without any red flags being raised.
Experts have warned excessive computer use or time spent online gaming can often hide bigger issues.
“If a person is choosing to disengage from society, family, and friends and exchanging that time with online activities, then that could signify a wider problem in that person’s life,” says NetSafe chief executive Martin Cocker.
“The time online is, more often than not, the symptom and not the cause.”
England-born Pendrous was found dead by a staff member in his room, number 209 in the Hinoki building of the university’s Sonoda Campus in Ilam, Christchurch, about 10.50pm on September 23.
His body had lain unnoticed for two to four weeks, a coroner ruled in Christchurch yesterday.
After a special hearing to verify Pendrous’ date of death, Coroner Sue Johnson found he died between August 26 and September 10.
No cause of death has yet been established and police inquiries are
His death was a tragedy and that mustn’t be forgotten as we try to find some answers.
Coroner Sue Johnson
ongoing, as are independent investigations by the University of Canterbury and accommodation provider Campus Living Villages (CLV).
Stepfather Anthony Holland, who last spoke to Pendrous on July 19, has expressed concerns over how long it took to notice something was wrong, and that investigations into his death would paint his son as a recluse.
Constable Robert Stokes, an inquest officer for the police, outlined the police work done so far to try to establish when the teenager died.
Photo records have Pendrous last seen entering his accommodation block, and using his university swipe card, on the evening of August 12.
He was not seen coming or going for a fortnight.
The last time he’s known to have spoken to anybody was on August 24 when he played an online war game with an old school mate in Wellington where they chatted over headphones.
From July 1 to the last time anyone saw Pendrous alive, police say his computer use had “increased substantially”. His high level of computer use remained consistent until 5.36pm on August 26 when the last clear record of user activity on his computer is documented.
The university’s IT department established that Pendrous’ laptop may have automatically logged on to the UC’s Learn network after a software update at 5.41pm on the same day.
The last recorded text message was sent to his stepdad Holland on June 12, police found, while the last known verbal phone contact was also to Holland, on July 19.
Pendrous’ last bank transaction was at a nearby supermarket ATM on June 21.
The student’s cellphone remained logged on to the university’s wireless service until it ran out of battery on July 23 and it was disconnected by his network provider on August 23 due to overdue payments.
A post-mortem examination by a forensic pathologist on September 24 concluded the teenager had been dead at least two to four weeks.
And yesterday, after hearing the police evidence, Coroner Johnson agreed. She ruled that Pendrous died between August 26 and September 10 this year. The evidence, as it currently stands, suggests that he died in his room.
No family members were at the hearing yesterday but a 3pm embargo allowed them to be informed of the outcome before media could report the findings.
While Coroner Johnson said she must focus on where Mason Pendrous died, and the cause and circumstances of his death, it was important to remember that at the centre of it all was a well-loved young man just starting his adult life.
“His death was a tragedy and that mustn’t be forgotten as we try to find some answers,” the coroner said.
She vowed the young student would not become invisible during the coronial process.