Cardiff University student found dead hours after learning he failed exam

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A student died within hours of being told she had failed a crucial 1% exam, a coroner heard.

But relatives of Cardiff University pharmacy student Mard Volks said the university later updated its result.

However, the 21-year-old did not see the improved result, and within 12 hours of hearing it, the initial result was found on the rocks under the Britannia Bridge on July 8 last year. She has been described as a “loving daughter” and “a wonderful friend and sister”.

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On Friday, the coroner held a pre-investigative hearing in Carnarvon to deal with preliminary matters with the family’s attorney before conducting a full investigation into Foulkes’ death in October, NorthWalesLive reports.

Kate Sutherland, acting chief investigator for North West Wales, said the death of Mard Foulkes, from Kay Oshaff farm, Minnai Bridge, was reported to have occurred on July 8 last year.

The pre-inquiry heard that Ms Foulkes was working in a pharmacy on the day she received the result by email.

The coroner said Ms Foulkes drove her car on the Britannia Bridge. “I left the engine running and left the car,” said Ms. Sutherland.

Then coroner and family attorney Cheney Hodges discussed the full scope of the investigation. Ms Hodges said the family believed that there was a link between Ms. Foulkes’ initial exam result and her actions.

“It is the family’s position that the result they received from Cardiff University, shortly before moving to the bridge, is of direct relevance,” she told the hearing.

Ms Hodges said Ms Foulkes “received the result of her exam saying she failed 1% … in the relevant unit and went to the bridge before being corrected later”. “Unfortunately, she never found out,” she added.

As painful as these procedures are for those who have lost loved ones, the lessons that can be learned from investigations can go a long way in saving the lives of others.

The press has the legal right to attend investigations and has a responsibility to report them as part of its duty to uphold the principle of open justice.

It is a journalist’s duty to ensure that the public understands the causes of someone’s death and to ensure that their death is not hidden. The investigation report can also clarify any rumors or suspicions about the person’s death.

But most of all, the investigation report could draw attention to conditions that might prevent more deaths.

If journalists refrain from attending investigations, an entire arm of the justice system will not be held accountable.

Surveys often lead to a broader discussion of serious issues, most recently mental health and suicide.

Editors actively request and encourage reporters to speak to the family and friends of the person under investigation. Their contributions help us build a clearer picture of the person who died and also provide the opportunity to pay tribute to loved ones.

Often families do not want to speak to the press and of course this decision must be respected. However, as we have seen before by many powerful media campaigns, the contribution of a person’s family and friends can make all the difference in helping to save others.

Without the presence of the press in the investigations, questions will remain unanswered and lives will be lost.

The doctor said she was satisfied that the mark within 12 hours of her death was relevant to the case.

The family’s request for a representative from Cardiff University to attend the full investigation in person was accepted unless problems with Covid-19 prevented them from coming to Carnarvon. The initial interrogation heard that it would be the head of the school in the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Professor Mark Gumbleton.

The coroner said, “He will be asked to take us through the report on how the results were arrived at. I wouldn’t be able to look at the Future Death Prevention report without someone from the university to help me understand the outcome system and how the outcomes are shared.”

The coroner added that Professor Gumbleton would also be given time to obtain Ms Foulkes’ “personal teacher record” and other documents.

Sutherland said the full investigation will take place in Carnarvon and will take up to two days.

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