- Tuesday, April 16, 2024
By: Keerthi Mohan
HEARTBROKEN parents of a Birmingham medical student revealed on Tuesday (2) how she fell to her death from a John Lewis balcony in front of them.
Hannah Bharaj, 20, died from “catastrophic injuries” after the fall on July 12 last year, an inquest heard.
The medical student’s life reportedly began to fall apart after the death of two close family members. At the time of her death, Hanna was a residential patient at a nearby Priory psychiatric hospital seeking help for eating disorder and other serious mental health issues.
Giving evidence, Sarah and Harminder, Hannah’s parents, said they were visiting the first floor café in John Lewis when their daughter decided to end her life.
Sarah said: “We went to the Priory to pick Hannah up at about 6.15pm. We would tend to go to the upstairs cafe in John Lewis because it stayed open later.
“Hannah had a book with her, I had a crossword.
“We all had a drink. Then Hannah said she wanted another drink, but she said she fancied a mocha, which was very unusual because of the calories. I gave her £5 and she got up and something fell out of her book.
“It was a card addressed to mum and dad. That made me concerned. She went off to get a drink and when I looked up she didn’t go left to the drinks bit, she went right.
“I think I knew she was walking towards the balcony. I said ‘Harni, look at the balcony’. I knew then. He leapt up and ran after her. She walked briskly, it was very measured.
“She stood on a chair then a table then I just saw her legs go down the glass.”
The fall was a “deliberate” attempt to take her own life, said Sarah.
Her father told the Stockport hearing: “I think her stress was related to her own aspirations and her high standards.” Hannah would get depressed if she did not meet her target, her parents said.
The hearing was told that the death of Hannah’s grandfather had taken a toll on the young adult.
Hannah was diagnosed with depression during her second year at university and she and admitted to Oak Trees eating disorder unit. There, she was diagnosed with severe anorexia, and despite support, her weight continued to fall.
Her depression escalated to the point where she became suicidal and all she could talk was ending her life.
Dr Jessica Morgan, a consultant psychiatrist at the NHS trust which runs Oak Trees, told the inquest Hannah suffered from “at least two severe mental illnesses” and “acute grief”.
Although Hanna showed signs of improvement after six months in the unit, and was allowed to return home, her condition deteriorated after the death of a second family member.
Shortly after Hannah attempted to commit suicide by taking an overdose of her prescribed medication.
She was admitted to an acute psychiatric ward at the Royal Bolton Hospital, and because of a lack of NHS beds, she was transferred to the Priory.
The hearing is expected to last five days.
