Disturbing new details have emerged from the inquest into an Oxford University student who killed himself after being ‘undone’ by his classmates at his college.
Alexander Rogers, 20, found himself frozen out by his friends after he had sex with a female friend who then told another male student at Corpus Christi College he felt ‘uncomfortable’ about the encounter, a coroner heard.
Although the girl had no intention of reporting the incident officially, ‘the disclosure caused a lot of hatred towards Alexander in her social circle,’ the Coroner said.
Two of Alexander’s friends confronted him about the girl’s accusations and told him that he had ‘messed up’ and that he ‘needed space from her’.
The next day, he jumped into the River Thames at Donnington Bridge and died of serious head injuries.
Alexander Rogers (pictured), 20, found himself frozen out by friends after he had sex with a female friend who told others he felt ‘uncomfortable’ during the encounter.
Alexander Rogers is a student at Corpus Christi College (pictured) at the University of Oxford
The study of the case shows a ‘culture of social ostracism’, or ‘revoking culture,’ among students involved in the ‘exclusion of students from social circles based on false accusations, often without a fair process or a fair hearing,’ he said. Coroner.
Students can ‘judge quickly’ without knowing all the facts and ‘pile’ on students who have been cancelled, and start avoiding them. The practice was found to be ‘established and normal’, and not only in Oxford, but in the wider education sector.
The Oxfordshire coroner, Mr Nicholas Graham, has written to the Department for Education expressing his concerns and asking them to review possible measures.
Similar incidents of ostracism have occurred in the past at the same college, although the consequences were less tragic than the Alexander case.
Alexander, who was described as ‘the epitome of what is good in this world’ by friends, and has even run a marathon to raise funds for a death prevention charity, left a note apologizing for his actions.
Recording a suicide verdict, Mr Graham described the case as ‘tragic’ in its findings of fact. He wrote: ‘Alexander returned to Corpus Christi College on 9 January 2024, after the Christmas break.
‘On January 11, Alexander and friends, including (a female friend, known as B) went to a pub. After returning to college, Alexander went to room B, and they had sex.
‘The next day, B told several male friends, expressing discomfort about having sex with Alexander.
Alexander Rogers (pictured) jumped into the River Thames at Donnington Bridge and died from serious head injuries
‘While B did not intend to report the incident officially, his disclosure led to hatred towards Alexander in his social circle.’
Two days after the incident, there was a ‘physical altercation’ between Alexander and K, B’s ex-boyfriend, the coroner said.
‘Later that evening, B spoke separately to C and E, a close friend of Alexander’s, explaining his feelings about the events of January 11.
‘On (Sunday) January 14, Alexander was absent from brunch, and C and E arranged a meeting with him to address the allegations. During this meeting, she tells Alexander that she believes she is ‘messed up’ and needs space from him.
“They said they would review him in a couple of weeks, but there was no specific timeline.
“Alexander looked confused after this conversation. ‘
The next day, one of the couple, E, finds a note from Alexander that shows his intention to kill himself.
The notes, addressed to C, E, and D, expressed remorse for their actions and believed 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 started looking for him.
Simultaneously, members of the public witnessed a young man matching Alexander’s description jump from Donnington Bridge.’
Mr Graham said he was satisfied that Alexander had intended to take his own life.
Following the death, Corpus Christi College established a Serious Incident Review, which was conducted by Dr Dominique Thompson, a specialist mental health GP.
“He identified a culture of social ostracism, always in the element of the student body,” said the Coroner.
‘This culture, described as a form of ‘cancel culture,’ involves the exclusion of students from the social environment based on allegations of wrongdoing, often without due process or hearings.
“Dr Thompson’s evidence is that students can make quick decisions without knowing all the facts, can avoid being accused, and ‘stacking’ can happen where a group will form a negative view of another individual.
‘They state that this culture is established and normal. Dr Thompson also acknowledges this is part of human behavior and part of a cultural phenomenon among young people.’
The Coroner noted that the College accepted that such a culture existed and that he was aware of two previous incidents where complaints had been formally made in circumstances similar to Alexander’s case.
He added: ‘It seems some staff are aware that some students are quick to judge, blame and expel. However, the College did not officially see through complaints, or reports of behavior, of the extent and nature of the culture in existence at the College until Dr. Thompson’s report.
The coroner concluded that Alexander’s condition due to the allegations and his inability to separate from his social environment had made him suicidal.
He added: “I have also considered whether the culture of social ostracism, as described by Dr Thompson and acknowledged by the College, contributed to Alexander’s death.
‘And also whether the College can respond to that culture and seek 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 exists at least in some parts of the student body and is described as ‘dangerous and negative and can lead to ostracism and isolation – a form of bullying and something contrary to the expected behavior of the College.’
He concluded that he could not determine whether any specific cultural elements present at the college, or how the campus had responded to previous incidents, directly caused distress or resulted in death.
But he added: ‘Of course, that culture may have influenced the actions of Alexander’s friends to make the decisions he did; maybe Alexander felt that – because of this culture – there is no way to get back to a social group that is obviously very important to people, if they have been left out.
‘What I can’t say is that this is a possibility. Nor, in the balance of possibilities, that this culture materially contributed to Alexander’s distress and fateful decision on the morning of January 15. ‘
In his report on preventing future deaths, Mr Graham said more colleges and universities had accepted the recommendations made by Dr Thompson to deal with future incidents.
He said: ‘SIR’s findings which highlight the potentially harmful effects of social ostracism and the need for strong support systems within the college community are taken with caution.
‘What is difficult to determine with certainty is the prevalence of this culture of social ostracism. The evidence is not limited to Corpus Christi College or the University of Oxford, and is a problem for the Higher Education Sector as a whole.
‘Dr Thompson points out that the College is a microcosm of life for young people in Oxford in general and the rest of the University.
‘Actually the family is concerned that this culture needs to be dealt with. My proposal is to write a future death prevention report to the Department of Education asking them to think about the concerns that occurred in this case and take those concerns into account. ‘
Mr Graham offered his condolences to the Alexander family, saying: ‘The inquest is designed to address the public concern that arises when a death is sudden or unexpected.
‘I know you have shared that concern, but uniquely you also have to bear the burden of grief at the loss of Alexander. That’s a really heavy burden.
From what we have heard, Alexander is a very handsome and popular young man. His loss was, as he said, devastating. I’m sure I can’t help but want to extend my deepest sympathy to you as a family. ‘
