'If we'd known, we would have done anything to stop her from going to university'

Bob and Maggie Abrahart, whose daughter Natasha suffered from crippling social anxiety, are calling for a statutory duty of care in higher education after her tragic death.

Natasha had reached out to the University of Bristol staff with her concerns, stating in an email: "I've been having suicidal thoughts and to a certain degree attempted it."

Despite this alarm call, she was not granted any relief and sadly, in April 2018, at the age of 20 and on the verge of making a class presentation, Natasha took her own life.

In a candid discussion with The Mirror, Bob, 68, expressed his shock upon discovering Natasha was one of eleven students to have died at the university over a period of 18 months. He said: "After Natasha died, we were appalled to learn she was the tenth of eleven students to die at Bristol university within an 18 month period."

READ MORE: Body found at Ashton Canal near Etihad Stadium - latest updates

Highlighting a perceived lack of concern, he added: "It felt like a lot of these students suffered death by indifference and we don't think that's acceptable."

The Abraharts, who also have a son, successfully brought legal action against the University of Bristol in May 2022, resulting in a ruling that the institution had violated the European Human Rights Act through discrimination related to Natasha’s disability. A judge confirmed breaches of the Equality Act 2010, equating to disability discrimination, and awarded the family a £50,000 payout.

In December 2023, a university's appeal against a previous decision was thrown out by the court, which however didn't address whether the establishment owed Natasha a duty of care in terms of negligence. Amid their ForThe100 initiative – a campaign bringing together