Staff at a Darlington sixth form college were sent a “targeted email” threat following the first day of an inquest looking into the death of an autistic student.
Sam Coutts was discovered unresponsive in the toilets at Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College on January 13, after emergency services were called to concerns for his welfare at 1.30pm.
The A-level student, who had “high functioning autism” was pronounced dead at the scene.
An inquest into Sam’s death held at Crook Coroners Court on Tuesday (October 20) heard following the first day of the inquest yesterday (October 19), staff were sent an email which was “specifically targeted at staff at the college.”
Coroner Crispin Oliver confirmed to the court the threat was “not targeted at the Coutts family” and staff at Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College have been “briefed to be extra vigilant today.”
He explained the college had received an email on Monday from “an unknown person claiming to be part of some sort of group” in which a threat was made.
Emergency services at QE College in Darlington (Image: THE NORTHERN ECHO)
Extra security measures were put in place at the inquest today following the threatening email to college staff.
Mr Oliver also confirmed the college staff will be attending the court hearing remotely “for safety reasons” and “felt it was appropriate to give evidence remotely.”
His mother Kirsten said Sam would have “felt ashamed” after the meeting, which he was allowed to leave alone.
Sam then left and headed straight to the toilets where he was found dead more than three hours later.
Speaking to the court, Kirsten described her son as loving, gentle, quiet, engaging, adventurous and erudite, with a wicked sense of humour.
In a tribute, she previously said to The Northern Echo: "If there is one thing that I could hope to come as a result of our heartbreak, it would be for people to think about what they say to other people and think about the power of their words.
"People can say the cruellest things about others and it doesn’t have to be that way – why can’t people just be nicer to each other."
The inquest continues.
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