Student, 22, 'took his mother's ashes to Lord of the Rings beauty spot and killed himself' after being accused of rape
17 December 2024, 10:09
A university student accused of rape took his mother's ashes to a remote beauty spot and killed himself, a coroner has heard.
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Thomas Wright dropped out of his Philosophy course at the University of Reading after being charged with rape in 2022.
The allegations against him caused the 22-year-old to suffer from anxiety and stress, the court heard.
Coroner Michael Bird was told Wright maintained his innocence prior to his death - even when speaking to his ex-police officer grandfather on the day he took his own life.
However, Mick Wright said his grandson feared he may be found guilty and “just could not deal with it.”
Mick Wright branded the investigation by Thames Valley Police into the 22-year-old’s alleged rape “botched”
Mr Wright told the court: “He had been told not to worry, she has done this before.
“It was a botched, very, very poor investigation into this matter.”
Mr Wright blamed the police for the stress his grandson suffered in the wake of the allegations against him and believed it may have contributed to his death.
On the day of his death, Thomas Wright took his mother’s ashes from his home in Reading to Wistman’s Wood on Dartmoor, a “sentimental” location to the following.
Wistman’s Wood is one of the UK’s last remaining ancient rainforests and is believed to have inspired JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings series.
The coroner heard Wright held a strong interest in reading and the afterlife, but did not confirm if this had any connection to his death.
As he travelled to Devon, Mr Wright called his father Chris and told him he was “going on an adventure.”
He did not tell his father what he was going to do but did inform a friend of his plan and where he was going.
The pal alerted Dartmoor Search and Rescue, who found Mr Wright hanged in the ancient forest.
The coroner told the court he would not reference Mr Wright’s sexual assault charge in his conclusion as it was outside the scope of the inquest.
The coroner listed Mr Wright’s cause of death as suicide and noted the sexual assault claims had been “hanging over him.”
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can reach out to Samaritans for help by calling 116 123 or emailing jo@samaritans.org in the UK.
