- Oxford student Alexander Rogers, 20, died after jumping into the River Thames
Disturbing new details have emerged from the inquest of an Oxford University student who killed himself after being 'cancelled' by fellow students at his college.
Alexander Rogers, 20, found himself frozen out by his friends after he had sex with a female friend who then told other male students at Corpus Christi College that she felt 'discomfort' about the encounter, the coroner heard.
Although the girl had no intention of reporting the incident formally, 'her disclosures led to a growing sense of animosity toward Alexander in his social circle,' the Coroner observed.
Two of Alexander's friends confronted him over the girl's allegations and told him he had 'messed up' and they 'needed space from him'.
The next day, he jumped into the River Thames at Donnington Bridge and died of serious head injuries.
An inquiry into the case revealed 'a concerning culture of social ostracism', or 'cancel culture,' among students which involved 'the exclusion of students from social circles based on allegations of misconduct, often without due process or a fair hearing,' said the Coroner.
Students could 'rush to judgement' without knowing all the facts and 'pile on' to the cancelled student, and begin to shun them. The practice was found to be 'established and normalised', and existed not just at Oxford, but in the education sector more widely.
The Oxfordshire Coroner, Mr Nicholas Graham, has written to the Department for Education raising his concerns and asking them to examine what steps could be taken.
Similar incidents os ostracism had happened in the past at the same college, though with less tragic consequences than Alexander's case.
Alexander, who was described as the 'epitome of what is good in this world' by friends, and had even run a marathon to raise funds for a suicide prevention charity, left notes apologising for his actions.
Recording a verdict of suicide, Mr Graham described the case as 'tragic' in his findings of fact. He wrote: 'Alexander had returned to Corpus Christi College on 9 January 2024, following the Christmas break.
'On the 11 January, Alexander and a group of friends, including [the female friend, known as B] went to a pub. Upon returning to the college, Alexander went to B's room, and they had sex.
'In the days following, B confided in several male friends, expressing discomfort about the sexual encounter with Alexander.
'While B did not intend to report the incident formally, her disclosures led to a growing sense of animosity toward Alexander within his social circle.'
Two days after the incident, a 'physical altercation' occurred between Alexander and K, an ex-boyfriend of B, said the coroner.
'Later that evening, B spoke separately with C and E, close friends of Alexander, explaining her feelings about the events of 11 January.
'On [Sunday] 14 January, Alexander was absent from brunch, and C and E arranged a meeting with him to address the allegations. During this meeting, they informed Alexander that they believed he had 'messed up' and that they needed space from him.
'They stated that they would check up on him in a couple of weeks, but no specific timeline was given.
'Alexander appeared distraught after this conversation. '
The next day, one of the pair, E, found a note from Alexander indicating his intention to kill himself.
'The note, addressed to C, E, and D, expressed remorse for his actions and a belief that they were unintentional but unforgivable.
'He also left a note for his family expressing his love and regret. Alexander's friends contacted the police and initiated a search for him.
Simultaneously, a member of the public witnessed a young man matching Alexander's description jumping from Donnington Bridge.'
Mr Graham said he was satisfied that Alexander intended to take his own life.
Following the death, Corpus Christi College mounted a Serious Incident Review, conducted by Dr. Dominique Thompson, a specialist mental health GP.
'She identified a concerning culture of social ostracism, certainly within an element of the student body,' said the Coroner.
'This culture, described as a form of 'cancel culture,' involved the exclusion of students from social circles based on allegations of misconduct, often without due process or a fair hearing.
'The evidence from Dr Thompson was that students could rush to judgment without knowledge of all the facts, could shun those accused, and 'pile on' might occur where a group would form a negative view about another individual.
'She states that this culture had become established and normalised. Dr Thompson also acknowledged this was part of human behaviour and was in part a cultural phenomenon amongst young people.'
The Coroner noted that the College accepted that such a culture existed and they were aware of two previous incidents where complaints had been formally made in circumstances similar to Alexander's case.
He added: 'Seemingly some staff were aware that some students were quick to judge, to blame and ostracise. However, the College were not formally aware through complaints, or reports of behaviour, of the extent and nature of the culture in existence at the College until Dr Thompson's report.'
The Coroner concluded that Alexander's distress at the allegations and the resulting exclusion from his social circle had led him to form the intention to take his own life.
He added: 'I have also considered whether the culture of social ostracism, as articulated by Dr Thompson and acknowledged by the College, contributed to Alexander's death.
'And also whether the College could have responded to that culture and sought to address it – and whether that omission played a role in what happened to Alexander. This is a more difficult question.'
He said the culture clearly existed at least in some parts of the student body and described it as 'harmful and negative and can lead to ostracism and isolation - a form of bullying and something contrary to the College's expected behaviours.'
He concluded that he had not been able to establish whether any particular element of the culture existing at the college, or how the college responded to the earlier incidents, directly caused his distress or contributed his death.
But he added: 'Of course, it is certainly possible that such a culture influenced the actions of Alexander's peers in forming the judgements that they did; it is also possible that Alexander felt that – because of this culture – there was no way of getting back into the social group that obviously meant so much to him, once he had been excluded.
'What I cannot say is that this was probable. Nor, on the balance of probabilities, that this culture materially contributed to Alexander's distress and his fateful decision on the morning of the 15 January. '
In a prevention of future deaths report, Mr Graham said the college and the wider university had accepted the recommendations made by Dr Thompson to deal with future incidents.
He said: 'The SIR's findings that highlight the potentially harmful effects of social ostracism and the need for robust support systems within the college community are being addressed with some diligence.
'What has been difficult to ascertain with any certainty is the prevalence of this culture of social ostracism. The evidence is that it was not limited to Corpus Christi College or Oxford University, and it is an issue for the Higher Education Sector as a whole.
'Dr Thompson indicates that the College was a microcosm of life for young people in Oxford generally and other Universities.
'Rightly the family are concerned that this culture ought to be addressed. My proposal is to write a prevention of future death report to the Department for Education asking them to reflect on the concerns that have arisen in this case and to take those concerns forward. '
Mr Graham expressed his condolences to Alexander's family, saying: 'The Inquest is designed to address the public concern that arises when a death happens that is sudden or unexpected.
'I know that you have shared that concern, but uniquely you also must carry the burden of the grief at the loss of Alexander. That is a heavy burden indeed.
'From what we have heard Alexander was an extremely able and popular young man. His loss, as you have said, is devastating. I am sure I am not alone in wanting to offer you as a family the deepest sympathies. '
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