There was 'nothing to suggest' schoolgirl, 16, was at 'significant risk' of hurting herself in weeks before her suicide at £44,000-a-year Wycombe School, mental health nurse tells inquest

Troubled teen Caitlyn Scott-Lee did not appear to be at risk of taking her own life when she spoke with a mental health nurse weeks before she died, an inquest heard today.

The autistic 16-year-old was found dead in a secluded room at £44,000-a-year Wycombe Abbey school in Buckinghamshire the day before she was due to attend a detention after a bottle of vodka was found in her locker on March 19. 

Beaconsfield Coroner's Court heard how Caitlyn took her own life after becoming overwhelmed with anxiety over the detention and discussed her feelings after a GP visit.

'There was nothing extraordinary to raise alarm bells that she was at significant risk of acting on thoughts of suicide,' mental health nurse Sally-Ann Phillips told the inquest today. 

The hearing was told Caitlyn was referred to Buckinghamshire Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) by her GP after he diagnosed her as suffering from moderate anxiety and depression.

Ms Phillips said she had a phone call with Caitlyn to assess what treatment should be implemented and the teenager talked about her suicidal thoughts and how she was suffering from depression.

The nurse said when she was later told Caitlyn had taken her own life she was shocked as there was nothing in their talk to suggest she would have such a tragic end. 

'She said she would not act on the suicidal thoughts and when she had them would go for a walk or listen to music,' said Ms Phillips.

The nurse said Caitlyn had told her she was not motivated to do her schoolwork.

'She said her low moods felt like a bad day every day. Her main concern was there was no motivation for schoolwork, but she had not spoken to the school about her concerns.'

Caitlyn also told the nurse she was sleep deprived and had withdrawn from many of her friends, during the phone conversation three weeks before she died. 

After the conversation, it was recommended that Caitlyn should be given some therapy that would start after about three months.

'There was not a lot of risk, just a safety plan,' said Ms Phillips.

The inquest had also been told Caitlyn suffered from depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts for several years. 

She had told her roommate that she would rather kill herself than attend the detention and diary entries found after her death also revealed how anxious she had been about the detention, with one note saying this would be her last entry. 

Caitlyn's GP Dr Joseph Gubral said the teen had told him she had 'occasional thoughts' of suicide but did not act on any of them.

He said Caitlyn, a talented musician described as a 'daddy's girl' by her father Johnathan, told him she would talk to a friend and the suicidal thoughts would pass. 

The teen also told the doctor she had suffered from depression for three years and anxiety for a year.

'She said the anxiety had got worse,' the doctor told the inquest. 

'I did not have immediate concerns of suicide.'

The GP said he saw Caitlyn in March 2023 - a month before she was found dead.

He diagnosed her with moderate depression and anxiety and referred her to the local child and adolescence mental health services (CAMHS) so they could become involved in her monitoring and treatment.

Earlier, the coroner Crispin Butler offered those attending the chance to leave the court before he revealed details of the post-mortem.

He said he would not go into detail but said the cause of death was consistent with hanging.

Caitlyn, the eldest of three girls, had been given her first ever detention after a half empty bottle of vodka had been found in her locker at the prestigious private school.

She was told that she would be punished with a detention that would take place after school hours. 

Yesterday, the inquest was told that the autistic teenager disappeared two days after being given the detention, on the same day she was due to play at a concert at Eton College. 

She was found at her mother's home two miles away in Windsor, with Caitlyn describing the incident in a diary entry - found after her death - as her 'best cry out for help'. 

Wycombe Abbey headmistress Jo Duncan was asked if staff made a connection between the Eton College incident, and alcohol being found in Caitlyn's possession.

'From my perspective we saw them as different incidents,' she said.

Caitlyn's father, a senior banker who lives in Malaysia, had given an emotional tribute to his daughter prior to any evidence being heard on the opening day of the inquest.

He took to the witness stand clutching his daughter's favourite soft toy – the 2012 Olympic mascot called Wenlock.

A montage of photos set to music and showing his daughter growing up was played to the inquest .

The photos had been taken from a tribute page set up by the family after her death.

Mr Scott-Lee spoke with pride of his daughter's achievements and trips around the world from visiting the Great Wall of China to learning to scuba dive.

He is estranged from his wife Tara who sat a few feet away from him in the courtroom, but they did not speak.

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