A STUDENT found hanged in the Chalke Valley earlier this year had been diagnosed with clinical depression.

Elsa Scaburri, from Broad Chalke, was found hanged in an isolated barn at Knowle Farm in Bowerchalke on March 20.

At her inquest in Salisbury today (Tuesday), coroner Ian Singleton said his conclusion that Miss Scaburri had taken her own life was "inevitable".

The 21-year-old was studying modern languages at Bristol University and Miss Scaburri's mother, Belinda, said: "She was a top grade student, always pushing herself and always hard on herself."

In September 2016 Miss Scaburri moved to Italy for a year abroad and her mother said "all was good".

But after visiting her family in Broad Chalke over Christmas last year, Mrs Scaburri said her daughter was "not very happy about going back" to Italy in early January.

"Following her return she rapidly went downhill," she said in a statement read out in court.

Mrs Scaburri travelled to Italy to visit later that month and said: "[Elsa] was very happy to see me, but I could tell things were wrong - she was slowly unravelling."

Mrs Scaburri said Elsa had been suffering from "twitches and head shakes" as well as night terrors.

On January 24, after returning to the UK with her mother, Miss Scaburri visited her GP in Bristol, who said she was having "some sort of crisis".

A statement from Mrs Scaburri's GP in Bristol said: "She felt very anxious and like a fraud who couldn't do the things people believed she could do."

Mrs Scaburri made an appointment for her daughter at the Priory, where Dr Shruthi Gurus Miss Scaburri had visited and said she "felt detached" from people and "cried for no reason most days".

It said: "She feels she has nothing to say to anybody. She feels her thoughts have stopped and her brain has shut down."

Dr Guruswamy's assessment found Miss Scaburri to be "nil suicidal and nil psychotic'.

Two weeks later, on February 21, she had another appointment where her dosage was increased.

Her mother said: "Since the return from Italy we had been sleeping in the same bed so I could comfort her, but after the second appointment she moved to her own room."

Dr Guruswamy wrote to the university again to say Miss Scaburri was feeling "less tearful and less flat" and that she would be seen again in four weeks' time.

Mrs Scaburri found Miss Scaburri missing a month later on the morning of March 20, with a note on her bed.

In a report following her death Dr Guruswamy said Elsa had not mentioned having any thoughts of suicide or self harm.

Hugo Mann, a farmer at Knowle Farm, discovered Miss Scaburri's body on March 20 in a barn used to store straw and hay, about a kilometre away from the main farm buildings.

He told the coroner he initially didn't see her as "it can get quite dark" in the barn, and said he thought he had seen some sacking that had been left by a worker.

Mr Man said after looking closer he saw it was a body hanging, and he called out to another worker and together they cut Miss Scaburri down.

PC Caroline Ralph and PC Phillip Artingstall attended the scene at about 9.20am, where paramedics told them Miss Scaburri was "clearly deceased" upon their arrival.

PC Artingstall said an iPod was found in Elsa's pocket with one earbud in her ear and that the iPod was still on and running.

He said Elsa's bag contained "some sundry items" such as cigarette papers and filters. The officers also found another length of rope and a sheet of A4 paper on which she had written her name and address.

PC Artingstall said it had rained in the early hours of March 20 and the ground outside the farm was muddy, but Elsa's trainers were dry and clean, and she had a small torch in her pocked, leading the police to establish that she had entered the barn overnight on March 19.

PC Artingstall told the coroner's court: "From what I saw at the scene it was my opinion that Elsa had taken her own life by hanging".

In his conclusion Mr Singleton said: "In January 2017 Elsa was unhappy, in a downward spiral, questioning what she had done with her life.

"Over the following weeks there seemed to be some improvement in her mood, but she found it difficult to talk.

"There is nothing to suggest any trigger, or any evidence that she had ever talked about taking her own life.

"At some point during the night of March 19, Elsa left her home and walked to the barn where she was found."

He said his conclusion of suicide was "inevitable" and offered condolences to Elsa's family.

  • Anyone experiencing symptoms of depression or suicidal thoughts can contact Samaritans free on 116 123 or visit samaritans.org.