An autistic teenager died by suicide in the toilets of his sixth-form college after being told his support worker would be replaced because he had developed a “crush” on her, an inquest heard.
Sam Coutts, 18, was found dead at Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College in Darlington in January, after meeting the vice-principal about social media posts he had written about the support worker.
Sam, described as high-functioning, was studying A-level psychology, applied science and biology. He had hoped to secure a place at York St John University.
Concerned about his autism, Sam had been assigned support worker Lauren Crosby after beginning to feel “isolated” during his studies.
Miss Crosby, who was 11 years older than Sam, later discovered posts he had made about her on Reddit.
On Christmas Day, he also emailed her a link to Mariah Carey’s song All I Want For Christmas Is You.
A meeting was held on January 13, when Sam was told that his support worker would be changed.
Before the meeting, Sam told his mother, Kirsten, that he felt embarrassed and ashamed.
Sam Coutts, 18, was found dead in the toilets of his sixth-form college in Darlington, County Durham, in January
His body was not discovered for three hours, after which emergency services were called to the college
He asked his mother whether the Reddit posts made him appear “creepy and weird”. She reassured him that they did not and said the posts had been respectful.
CCTV showed Sam walking directly from the meeting to the toilets, where the college principal found his body three hours later.
At an inquest in Crook, County Durham, on Monday, Sam’s mother said the college had “failed completely in their duty of care”.
In a statement summarised by coroner Crispin Oliver, the hospital nurse said: “The college did not care appropriately and acceptably for my son.
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“The college let him go off alone despite me sharing my concerns.
“They didn’t notice for three hours, despite him being marked absent in class.
“There was little or no understanding of his ability to mask [his autism], and it was completely ignored.”
Vicky Wilkinson, the college’s head of learning support, accepted that removing Miss Crosby as Sam’s support worker would have been “uncomfortable”, but said there had been no alternative.
“I don’t accept I invited a risk to his wellbeing,” she said. “The priority was Lauren’s safety as well as protecting Sam.”
“At the time, I feel like we did enough. The only alternative would have been to keep Lauren in place, and that was not an option.”
‘The wording on the Reddit posts left us with significant concerns.’
In her statement, Ms Coutts said Sam was a ‘loyal and loving’ boy who enjoyed boxing, DIY with dad Matthew and travelling.
She said: ‘Sam was a loving, kind, gentle and erudite son. He could always find something funny in every situation.
‘Sam stated that 2026 was going to be his year. I just wanted him to be happy. Sam has left the hugest hole in our lives.
‘I am just glad he was mine.’
The inquest continues.
For confidential support, call Samaritans for free on 116 123, visit samaritans.org or visit https://www.thecalmzone.net/get-support
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