Student, 27, ‘took his own life after posting tweet about how he didn’t have enough money to study at university’ as family say ‘his battle with his brain sadly overcame him’
- The body of Rory Wood, 27, was found two days after he went missing on Sunday
- His family say they believe he ended his own life after a battle with mental illness
- Before his death he said University of Manchester had taken a £1,000 deposit
- It’s claimed he was rejected from a course over funding, but it wasn’t given back
- The University says his application was not rejected and is looking into the claim
- You can contact The Samaritans helpline 24/7 on 116 123 for help and support
A student took his own life after posting a tweet about how he didn’t have enough money to study at university, as his heartbroken family say ‘his battle with his brain sadly overcame him’.
Rory Wood, from Hereford, was tragically found dead on Tuesday, two days after he went missing on Sunday.
His family say they think he took his own life just a week after finding out he had graduated from the Open University with a 2:1 in Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE).
His brother, Dan Wood, said Rory had been accepted to study at the University of Manchester for a course in September, but his struggle with mental illness had overcome him.
Prior to his disappearance the 27-year-old had tweeted his situation felt ‘unliveable’ and claimed he had ‘lost one grand in a deposit’ to the university as he didn’t have enough money to study.
Rory Wood (pictured), 27, from Hereford, was tragically found dead on Tuesday after going missing on Sunday
He wrote: ‘I lost one grand in a deposit to a university because, while I met the offer requirements, it became clear that I hadn’t made nearly enough money to fund the living costs after two years saving in full time work. There were no university fees in this country until 1998 btw.
He added: ‘Everything just feels impossible and unliveable.’
After his death was announced, a friend of Rory’s hit out at the university, claiming it had rejected his application ‘because he could not make living costs’ and it ‘did not give the £1,000’.
The friend, who uses the twitter account @HarbourSeal, wrote he had died ‘because of his absolute hopelessness of his situation’.
In a tweet before he passed away, Rory said he didn’t have enough money to study at university
She wrote: ‘So Manchester University took an applicants £1k, rejected their application because they can’t make living costs, and didn’t give the money back. This applicant, a friend, then dies by suicide because of his absolute hopelessness of his situation. It’s absolutely scandalous.’
The University of Manchester has said it had given a place to Rory and his application had not been withdrawn, and there was no record of a refund request being sent through, at the time of his death.
Rory’s brother, Dan Wood, told the Manchester Evening News he felt the university had been ‘supportive’ and
He also wanted to pay tribute to his brother and raise awareness of mental illness following his tragic death, as his Rory had been struggling with it for some time.
Rory had been given a place to study at the University of Manchester (pictured) starting in September
He said that as far as he was aware, there had not been any communication between his brother and the university about the deposit or about cancelling his place.
He added that he felt Rory had been angry about the costs of living and studying in Manchester, but that he ‘loved the city’. He was also angry about the cost-of-living in general.
Dan said: ‘I think it’s important to clear the air. Rory was suffering with mental illness for a long time and it has always been a struggle.
‘He had completed his bachelor’s degree at the Open University and found out last week that he got a 2:1. This was all about moving onto the next stage.
‘I think he came to the conclusion that he was not ready to move away and go to Manchester and live by himself and support himself.’
Dan added: ‘He had already been accepted to study at the University of Manchester and would have started in September. He had always been a very politically-engaged person and was quite an angry person.
‘He was angry about the cost-of-living situation and he had been working part-time to fund moving to Manchester and was more angry about the price of having to plan all this rather than to do it. He was really excited to go to Manchester.
‘He went to the open day and stayed over and he loved the city. He felt that this was something he wanted to do but he did not have the mental capacity to do it. That’s the sad thing.’
Family post heartfelt tribute to Rory
Rory’s family have posted a heartfelt tribute to him after his death.
They said: ‘Thank you for all of your love for our beautiful son, brother, nephew and cousin, Rory.
‘We are completely humbled and overwhelmed by the messages of support on Twitter.
‘We realise that there are people on here that truly loved him and the fact that he made your days just a little bit brighter brings a smile to our faces in these tragic times.
‘Rory may not have mentioned it on here but he has always had loving and supportive friends and family that tried everything to help him but his battle with his brain sadly overcame him.
‘We ask that Rory’s legacy is the increased awareness of mental illness – please all look after yourselves and always remember to speak out.
‘Rory completing his bachelors degree in politics, philosophy and economics last week was one of the proudest moments of our lives.
‘We will never stop loving you Rory.’
Dan said that Rory had mentioned to his mum about paying a deposit to the university, but had not clarified how much was paid or what exactly this was for. He added that Rory had always lived with his family and would have been able to get financial help if he needed it.
‘I think from our perspective as far as we are aware the university has been supportive and we are not aware of any communication between Rory and the university about deposits or about cancelling his place, although the university’s statement was probably not as clear as it could have been’, he added.
Dan said he felt Rory used a persona on Twitter and added: ‘That last tweet he made he directed his anger to the university. I think from our perspective it is not the full truth, it is the image he wanted to portray.’
In its full statement posted on Twitter last night, the University of Manchester said: ‘We are very aware of the upsetting reports online about a student applicant and are looking into what has been said as a matter of urgency. Out of respect we are not commenting further as yet but, if confirmed, we extend our utmost sympathy.
‘We can confirm that a place was successfully secured for a Master’s at the University. According to our records this application is still open and wasn’t withdrawn by the applicant and has not been rejected by the University.
‘From our initial enquiries, we can find no record or email correspondence suggesting any request for a refund or further request for help.’
The university added that they are ‘investigating thoroughly’ and that the issue would be further looked into.
This was followed by a new statement today in which it said: ‘The police have now confirmed that Rory has tragically passed away. This is deeply distressing and we are extending our heartfelt condolences to his family and friends.
‘We are really sorry that our statement yesterday caused further upset, which was certainly not our intention. It was to try and help address intense interest while we were actively seeking further details.
‘We will of course do everything we can to understand what has happened in this tragic case, including any lessons we can learn.
‘We will continue to offer our support to Rory’s friends and family.’
- If you are struggling with depression or suicidal thoughts you can contact The Samaritans helpline 24/7 on 116 123 for help and support
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