Student likely took his own life after ‘wrestling with his mind’
A university student who struggled with his mental health in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic likely took his own life, an inquest has concluded.
At Winchester Coroner’s Court, an inquest was held into the death of Joshua Carpenter-Jones from Hayling Island.
Joshua was found dead in his bedroom on February 6 last year.
The 22-year-old, in his final year of study at the University of Portsmouth, was a software web designer and previously worked part-time as a kitchen porter, the court heard.
But when his circle of friends shrank through the pandemic and after being arrested the previous month, his father came home from a weekend away to find he had ‘suddenly’ passed away.
Senior coroner Christopher
Wilkinson said: ‘Joshua was described by course staff as an intelligent student – it seems that for the majority of his time he was working hard for his degree, and was awarded a posthumous diploma after his passing.
‘He appeared to have struggled with lockdown but enjoyed his university course, spending his free time playing computer games or visiting his grandmother.’
The court heard how on January 13, the university student was arrested on suspicion of an undisclosed offence, and his electronic devices were seized by police. Investigating officers reported that he was ‘compliant throughout’ and was polite and upbeat in discussions with police officers.
But less than a month later, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary was called to his home by the ambulance service, after he died while his father was away for the weekend. A toxicology report from his post-mortem found a lethal amount of anti-insomnia and ‘date rape’ drugs in his system.
Mr Wilkinson ruled that Joshua likely intended to take these substances while he was home alone, suggesting that evidence pointed towards it being ‘deliberate’.
‘He was wrestling with his mind and with his place in the world,’ he said. ‘His arrest may have been the final straw for Josh.
‘The only conclusion I can draw is that this was a deliberate act.
‘I’m desperately sorry that you [Joshua’s family] have lost him in this way.’