'Gifted' teenager killed himself after missing out on university place, inquest hears
A “gifted” teenager who attended one of the country’s most prestigious schools killed himself by deliberately crashing his car after missing out on a place at Bristol University, an inquest has heard.
Jasper de Pelet, 18, died after veering into the path of an oncoming lorry at more than 60mph on the A303, Wiltshire, in November 2019. He had earlier removed his seatbelt.
The teenager was educated at the £13,000-a-term Sherborne School in Dorset, where his mother Rebecca, is head of English.
She told an inquest into his death at Salisbury Coroner's Court that her son became “despondent and unhappy” after missing out on a place at Bristol University.
Moments before the crash, he had sent a text to her which simply said, “I’m sorry”.
Journals discovered after Mr de Pelet’s death charted his battle with anxiety and depression.
In one entry, he had written: “Even when I am at my happiest, sadness can crush me at any time.”
Investigators found that the brakes had not been applied at any point when his Volkswagen Golf was driven across the hatched central reservation on November 9.
PC Michelle Jones, who investigated the crash close to the A303’s junction with the A350, said that dashcam footage from the heavy-goods vehicle suggested the car’s “deviation was inconsistent with a momentary lapse of concentration or distraction”.
At the time, Mr de Pelet was taking a year out after getting his A-Level results to travel and “work on himself”.
His GP, Joanna Briffa, told the inquest that the teenager’s depression and anxiety had become particularly bad around exam periods. He had been seeing a counsellor in the months before his death.
On the day of the crash he had been driving back to his home in Somerset after visiting Georgia Mae Holzer, his girlfriend. She described him as being “in good spirits” and the couple had made plans for her to visit in the future.
It was around an hour after his departure, at 5.17pm, that Mr de Pelet texted his mother to tell her that he was sorry.
Ms de Pelet said in a statement that was read to the court that her son had “high standards and expectations of himself”, adding: "He was an active member of the local church and he had periods of anxiety around exam time but achieved excellent results.
"He missed out on a place at Bristol University and became despondent and unhappy... Eventually he got a place to do history at Cardiff."
The teenager had left Sherborne to sit his A-Levels elsewhere, but a spokesman for the school said: “Jasper was a uniquely talented individual. He was possessed of tremendous academic ability and had a wide range of passions and interests. Above all, he was an exceptionally kind and gentle young man."
David Ridley, coroner for Swindon and Wiltshire, recorded a conclusion of suicide.
He told the court: "I have seen the journals, read a few extracts and I noted the evidence from his mum that he had experienced a downturn in his mental health.
"I have also seen the text message saying sorry.
"Pulling all that together as a result of the sudden dramatic downturn in his mental health at the relevant time - Jasper did intend to drive into the path of that vehicle."
