This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/wales/south_east/7209523.stm
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Student killed herself after rape | Student killed herself after rape |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A 20-year-old woman who killed herself nine months after she was raped blamed herself for the attack, an inquest has heard. | |
| Harriet McCormick was about to start university when she jumped from a footbridge over the M4 motorway. | |
| Miss McCormick, of Radyr, Cardiff, had twice before tried to kill herself after the attack during a night out. | |
| The coroner said she died as a "direct consequence" of the rape and it was "an extraordinarily sad story". | |
| Miss McCormick's body was found by a lorry driver on the hard shoulder of the M4 motorway at Radyr just after midnight on 26 August, 2007 underneath a footbridge. | |
| I'm appalled by this, that so many young women could have been so badly injured by the actions - the terrible actions - of one man Coroner Mary Hassell | I'm appalled by this, that so many young women could have been so badly injured by the actions - the terrible actions - of one man Coroner Mary Hassell |
| Nine months before she was attacked in a car park after a night out with friends. | Nine months before she was attacked in a car park after a night out with friends. |
| Her mother Cheryl McCormick said her daughter and her friends had all been dressed as a policewomen. | |
| She told her mother about the rape the next morning but did not inform police as she could not remember enough about the man, said to be tall and with a south Wales valleys accent, the inquest heard. | She told her mother about the rape the next morning but did not inform police as she could not remember enough about the man, said to be tall and with a south Wales valleys accent, the inquest heard. |
| Nurse Mrs McCormick said: "I think she felt dirty. She felt as if she'd been violated." | |
| The student's distress affected some of her friends, the inquest heard | The student's distress affected some of her friends, the inquest heard |
| Her mother described how afterwards Harriet, who had been about to start a degree at Bristol University when she died, suffered flashbacks and insomnia. | Her mother described how afterwards Harriet, who had been about to start a degree at Bristol University when she died, suffered flashbacks and insomnia. |
| She felt very vulnerable and found it "difficult to cope," she added. | She felt very vulnerable and found it "difficult to cope," she added. |
| Miss McCormick was diagnosed with depression and post traumatic disorder, the inquest heard. | |
| She was referred to psychiatrist after an initial suicide attempt and was making progress, before she was found dead. | She was referred to psychiatrist after an initial suicide attempt and was making progress, before she was found dead. |
| A post mortem examination found she died of a blunt head injury. Toxicology tests revealed her blood alcohol levels were double the drink-drive limit. | A post mortem examination found she died of a blunt head injury. Toxicology tests revealed her blood alcohol levels were double the drink-drive limit. |
| Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan coroner Mary Hassell read out an e-mail Miss McCormick had written to the Samaritans. | |
| She wrote: "I'm finding life really difficult at the moment. It's even a struggle to get out of bed. The first thing I think about is dying, and I'm worried because I want it to happen. | |
| 'Get over me' | 'Get over me' |
| Her e-mail went on: "I've been through something traumatic. Though I hate feeling sorry for myself, it's been the hardest thing I've had to deal with in my life." | |
| Speaking about her overdose, and the effect her death would have on people, she said: "I just thought that with time they would get over me, and everyone would be better off." | |
| She finished her e-mail: "Mostly, I want all the pain to end". | |
| The coroner recorded a verdict saying Miss McCormick "took her own life as a direct consequence of the deterioration in her formerly excellent mental health because of the rape". | The coroner recorded a verdict saying Miss McCormick "took her own life as a direct consequence of the deterioration in her formerly excellent mental health because of the rape". |
| The inquest was told Miss McCormick had self-harmed after the attack, as did some of her friends. | The inquest was told Miss McCormick had self-harmed after the attack, as did some of her friends. |
| Ms Hassell said: "The knock-on effects of this rape were so severe that her friends' mental health had deteriorated as a result of Harriet's deterioration of mental health. | Ms Hassell said: "The knock-on effects of this rape were so severe that her friends' mental health had deteriorated as a result of Harriet's deterioration of mental health. |
| "I'm appalled by this, that so many young women could have been so badly injured by the actions - the terrible actions - of one man". | "I'm appalled by this, that so many young women could have been so badly injured by the actions - the terrible actions - of one man". |