DEATH OF STUDENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20603, 30 June 1930, Page 11

DEATH OF STUDENT.

FATAL FALL FROM WINDOW. BIBLE INSTITUTE PUPIL. QUESTION OF HIS CARE. COMMENT BY THE CORONER. An inquest into the death of Lester Selwyn Gardiner, aged 21, a student, who received fatal injuries through falling from a fifth storey window down a lightwell at the Y.M.C.A. on Friday morning, was held before Mr. F. K. Hunt, S.M., coroner, on Saturday. A verdict was returned that deceased died from injuries suffered as the result of jumping from a window and falling down the lightwell while temporarily deranged. Mr. C. 0. Butler watched proceedings on behalf of the Y.M.C.A. and Mr. A. C. Stevens on behalf of tho New Zealand Bible Training Institute. Sydney Malcolm Stuart, uncle of deceased, of Bayswatcr, said deceased had been a divinity student at the Bible Training Institute since March of this year. On June 18 he went to reside with witness and remained until June 25. Deceased suffered a nervous breakdown and was attended by Dr. J. G. Stewart. Deceased did not return home on June 23 and was found by a search party on the Takapuna Beach on the following morning. On Wednesday tho youth was taken to the Y.M.C.A. pending the arrival of his father, who lived at Gore, Southland. The Coroner: Why was ho not taken to a mental hospital ? Witness: As his parent was not here I could not take the responsibility. Deceased in 111-Health. Dr. Stewart said he went to see deceased at the Y.M.C.A. on Friday and learned that Gardiner had fallen out of tho window of his room. He found deceased in the basement unconscious and accompanied him to the hospital. The Coroner: Was he in a mental condition ? Witness: The symptoms were due to his physical condition. Witness said deceased was suffering from ill-health and his mental condition would improve with his health. He had been suffering from depression and loss of memory. The principal of the institute refused to house deceased, and there was no accommodation at the hospitals. The secretary of the Y.M.C.A. agreed to take the boy on condition attendants were provided and deceased had been attended day and night. Witness said deceased, up to the time of his admission to the Y.M.C.A., had shown no suicidal tendencies, nor had his mental condition been such as to warrant witness certifying him as insane. The Y.M.C.A. had done everything in its power to help tho youth. Mr. Stevens: Did the principal of the institute give any reasons for his refusal? Witness: He told mo sick students were sent to relatives or the hospital, there being no provision for them at the institute.

Circumstances ol Death. The Coroner: Why did the institute not look after the boy and not have him thrown on to the doctor? Mr. Stevens: Did not boys from the institute stop all night with deceased at the Y.M.C.A. ? Witness: Yes, after appealed to. The youth could have been at the bottom of the harbour for a week and no one would have known. No inquiries were made by the institute after deceased had left there. Thomas Walker said he had been looking after deceased at the Y.M.C.A. On Friday morning deceased suddenly became violent and leaving his bed moved toward the window. Witness had overpowered him, but later witness lost his hold and deceased fell a distance of 80ft. from the window. John Oswald Sanders, secretary of the institute, said deceased had been a capable student, but was highly strung and not robust. After returning from a holiday he complained of tiredness and was sent to bed. Dr. W. H. Pettit, honorary physician to tho institute, was called. Later in the week Gardiner suggested he should stay with an aunt at Bayswater. Witness consented and told deceased not to come back until thoroughly well. On Sunday, June 23, at the youth's request, a student had visited him and found him in a seemingly nervous condition. Deceased had later been placed in a nursing home at Takapuna, but had broken a window and entered the sea, being brought ashore by two men.' "No Facilities for Treatment." Tho Coroner: Why did you not take him back ? Witness said there were no facilities for treatment at the institute, which accommodated 25 women and 50 men, while Gardiner was not in a fit state to be there. When consulted Dr. Pettit had said tho institute was not the proper place for deceased, who should be looked after by trained nurses. The Coroner: It was only for a few days until the arrival of deceased's father. Witness: It would have been from 9 a.m. on Wednesday. Mr. Stevens: Were inquiries made by the institute after deceased went to Bayswater '!— No. Deceased was all right when lie left. We received a message when the youth was lost and we joined tho searchers. At this stage Mr. Stuart stated that when deceased arrived at witness' house he was ill and went to bed. The institute did not offer voluntarily to help in tho search referred to. Mr. Sanders said he received tho message indirectly and after finishing a lecture had taken a search party to the North Shore. Vernon T. Drew, secretary of the Y.M.C.A., said deceased, while at the hostel, had never been left unattended. A member of tho institute had come on ono occasion. Evidence of Doctor. Dr. Pettit stated deceased had been in a nervous state at tho institute and had not been sleeping well. He had done very little study recently. The Coroner: Could the institute not have looked after him ? Witness: It was reported to me that deceased had attempted to commit suicide after leaving the institute and I accordingly advised against his admission. The Coroner: Why did you not ring some other doctor ?—lt was my responsibility to advise the institute what course to follow. If the youth were in the state reported he should be under the charge of trsiined nurses. The Coroner: You took no interest in the youth ?—I could not interfere when he was under another doctor. The Coroner: If the case arose again you would have taken him in ?—Certainly not. The father of deceased said his son had been of a reticent nature and he was sorry the institute had not informed him of' his condition. Ho thanked Dr. Stewart and the Y.M.C.A. for the care given to deceased. The coroner said Dr. Stewart and the Y.M.C.A. had done all they could for deceased. It was one of those unfortunate cases that occurred now and again even at institutions for the care of such cases.