Alexander Rogers was a third year ‘talented student, well known and liked’
An new inquest has declared the death of a University of Oxford student was by suicide.
20-year-old Alexander Rogers died earlier this year. He was in his third year of studying Materials Science at Corpus Christi College. Alexander was from Salisbury and went to Bishop Wordsworth’s School. He lived in university accommodation on Merton Street.
Witnesses saw him entering the River Thames from Donnington Bridge on 15th January.
Donnington Bridge
(Credit: Andrew Gray via Creative Commons)
Concerned students realised he was missing and phoned the emergency services. A medical team arrived on a helicopter. Firefighters and police removed his body from the river. He was declared dead at 1:04pm. He died from a “massive head trauma”.
Corpus Christi College said, “Alexander was a talented student, well known and liked in the college community and beyond and a vibrant presence in the Junior Common Room, the boat club and the Materials Science cohort.
“The College commissioned an independent review to identify all learning in this case with the aim of minimising the chance of such a tragic loss happening again.”
Corpus Christi College at the University of Oxford
(Credit: Andrew Shiva via Creative Commons)
An independent consultant who investigated his death said Alexander experienced “pervasive cancel culture” in the days before his death. She said, “It was shocking to hear that students were treating each other in this way, but I was not surprised by this pattern of behaviour.”
His friends and family ran the Salisbury Plain Marathon this summer in his memory to raise money for Papyrus UK, a charity which aims to prevent suicide among young people. His friend described him as, “the epitome of what is good in this world; kind, warm, funny, and an incredible friend to so many.”
If you feel affected by this story, please speak to someone or contact Samaritans on 116 123 at any time. You can contact Anxiety UK on 03444 775 774, Mind on 0300 123 3393, and Calm (Campaign against living miserably, for men aged 15 to 35) on 0800 58 58 58.
Feature image credit: Jonas Magnus Lystad via Creative Commons