Science student took lethal dose of caffeine after learning about toxic levels – Mirror Online

A science student killed herself in university halls with caffeine after using her expertise to learn about its toxic levels.

Sophia Benning, 24, was studying biomedicine at Salford University in Greater Manchester when she took a lethal dose of caffeine powder.

The troubled student, who had been battling depression, bought the stimulant legally off eBay after posting a number of harrowing messages on the social media site Reddit indicating she wanted to take her own life.

Sophia was found dead in her room last March 19 at Byron House halls.

A note she wrote said: “I’m tired on putting in this facade. I’m tired of putting on a fake smile when I’m emotionally dying.”

It emerged the stimulant packet she bought had no warnings about dosage or excessive usage. The student was subsequently awarded a posthumous first class degree from the university.

At an inquest coroner Alan Walsh recorded a verdict of suicide and said: “I have been a coroner sitting at this court for more than 18 years and this is the first ever death from caffeine toxicity which is a very unusual cause of death.

 

“Sophia was a very bright and super intelligent young lady with a supportive family who did well on her uni course and she had a lot of support from the people in her flat.

“It’s something to be credited as she received a first class degree posthumously at the graduation last week that tells me she was super intelligent and she was capable of researching subjects including caffeine.

“Those message she’s logged on Reddit were very clear yet she was extremely capable of covering her intentions. On March 18th she was laughing about parking a car and laughing with her sister and parents.

“She covered everything that must have been in her thoughts and it’s quite astonishing she had the intentions able to carry with these inner thoughts.”

Mr Walsh continued: “All these examples show that a lot of people were reassured of that fact she wouldn’t harm herself yet the note she left in her room has a clear indication of intention. I find it extremely sad when somebody on the outside is happy when they are having these thoughts.

“It was her choice she made it clear she didn’t want her family to feel any guilt. She wanted to carry out her intention and she wanted people to respect this as her intention. I am extremely saddened, she was 24, a super bright, highly educated young lady.”

 

The Bolton hearing was told Sophia, from Telford, Shropshire had been diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome but did well at school and college.

She initially went to Sheffield university to study bioengineering, but she left in the first year and enrolled on a three year a biomedicine studies course at Salford in 2016.

Her father Jimmy Singh told the hearing: “She was coping really well with it and she was in the top of her year. She would have got a first and there wasn’t any academic problem. At the graduation ceremony last week they made a posthumous certificate for her.

“She coped with her studies. As for us, we were aware she managed to do her own educating, she wasn’t in any special problems. She was last home between July and September 2018, there were no problems. She came home, she would occasionally go out and visit friends and she worked as an usherette on occasions. She also did a week of work experience at the local hospital.”

But in the weeks before her death, Sophia’s family had become concerned about her not responding to social media messages.

They were then contacted by her boyfriend who became worried about Sophia’s mental health when he saw her posts on Reddit.

One post said: “Before next week/by Monday. I’m ready to go. I have nothing left. I can’t stop thinking about suicide and NEED to go.”

Another read: “Last weekend here on planet Earth.”

The hearing was told Sophie’s sister Sarah took her to hospital on March 18 but she was discharged and advised to see her GP.

Mr Singh added: “Sarah said she seemed in quite good spirits, she was laughing about how difficult it was to park and how they couldn’t find a parking space near the Accident and Emergency unit. If she said anything about ending her life, she would say, ‘It’d be better off if I’m dead’, but it was sort of off-the-cuff. We weren’t aware of any attempt she made to harm herself.

“We later found out after she died that she had bought caffeine powder, which can be toxic when taken in excess. She would have researched it in some way. It was bought on eBay. There was no suggestion of dosage, there were no warning signs , it was just like sugar. Sophia didn’t reach out for extra help with any services. Lots of people saw her the day before her death.”

Sarah Singh said: “She was happy for me to take her to hospital. She admitted she had ordered something but it hadn’t arrived yet. She was upbeat and laughing on the way there.

“We spoke about future plans. She was seen by a triage nurse that had taken her blood pressure then she went straight to the mental health nurse.

“The mental health nurse took her away for the best part of an hour. She was then discharged and they told her to go and see her GP.

“I heard the summary about what they had spoken about and we asked her about what she had ordered online and she refused to answer.

“The mental health nurse had said that these sort of things were trivialised- a lot of people buy things but don’t actually do anything with it.

“They see it as a comfort that it’s there. It was never established when it was ordered. I asked Sophia if she found the consultation helpful and she said she thought the nurse was hilarious. I just remember thinking ‘it’s not a jokey manner”.

Tests showed Sophia had excess caffeine per litre of blood in her system. Dr Usha Chandran a pathologist said: “It affects the central nervous system, it can cause irritability and psychosis and can affect the heart and cause tachycardia. It causes a person to go into a sleep and coma and sadly die.

“The caffeine was the only anomaly in her system. I’ve been in my job for 25 years and I’ve never come across this before.”

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