Overview
- On January 13, 18-year-old Sam Coutts attended a meeting with the vice principal about Reddit posts in which he said he had a crush on his support worker and was later told she would be reassigned; CCTV shows he walked straight to the college toilets and was not found for about three hours.
- Sam was a high-functioning autistic A-level student who family witnesses say masked his condition and became highly anxious when routine or support changed, a factor his mother cites in accusing the college of failing its duty of care.
- College staff told the inquest they removed the support worker because the wording of the Reddit posts raised safety concerns and they believed keeping her in place was not an option, while the family disputes how the posts were found and handled.
- The coroner's inquest, which heard attendance records and CCTV evidence on October 19–20, is continuing to probe whether the college’s safeguarding decisions and follow-up monitoring met legal and professional duties.
- After the first day of evidence the college received a targeted threatening email to staff, prompting extra security and remote attendance by staff at the hearing, a developing issue noted by the coroner.