Ceara Thacker: Dead student's father hits out at university

The father of a student found hanged at university has criticised staff for not telling the family about a previous suicide attempt, an inquest heard.

Ceara Thacker, 19, was found dead in her halls of residence at the University of Liverpool in May 2018.

Her father Iain Thacker insisted it would have "made a difference" if they had known about an overdose just three months earlier.

An inquest heard that the family were not told of the suicide attempt.

The hearing at Liverpool's Gerard Majella Courthouse was told that Ms Thacker, from Bradford, had suffered mental health problems since she was 13.

The philosophy student was found dead at about 23:30 BST on 11 May last year.

Mr Thacker, of Guiseley, Leeds said the family kept in regular contact with her after she moved to university in September 2017.

He said she had disclosed her mental health problems when applying to university.

However Mr Thacker said the family were unaware she had had an overdose in February and believed she was continuing to take anti-depressant medication.

He said: "Ceara's death was a horrible, terrible shock to us all."

Her father added: "We don't know why Ceara didn't feel able to tell us what was going on.

"However, we feel very strongly that someone in a position of responsibility needed to ask her if she wanted us to be told.

"Someone needed to recognise that they were dealing with a really vulnerable 19-year-old who was living away from home for the first time, who wasn't thinking straight, who wasn't coping and who needed her family to support her."

The court heard on the morning of her death, Ceara had posted on Twitter about the death of Frightened Rabbit singer Scott Hutchison, who took his own life.

She wrote: "Honestly got no words, am so upset. What awful news to wake up to."

The hearing was told that Ceara left three letters with one addressed to "World".

The inquest continues.