Xuanze Piao · Prevention of Future Deaths report

On 11/12/18 an investigation was commenced into the death of Xuanze Piao. The investigation concluded at the end of the inquest on 06/11/20. The determination of the inquest as to the medical cause of death was a massive head injury and multiple trauma owing to impact with a train, and as to conclusion, suicide.

In Autumn 2018, Xuanze was a student attending Coventry University enrolled on a degree course in Architecture. He was aged 17, having been born on 10/12/2000 in the Heping district of Shenyang, China. He was living in student accommodation.

At Coventry University he was categorised as a Tier 4 overseas student. Due to his age and nationality he was required to have a guardian within the UK. A condition of his UK student visa was that he attended his university course. Xuanze’s attendance on his university course was limited. Because of the amount of the course he missed he was sent a number of emails requesting his attendance at meetings with staff to discuss his absence. He did not respond to these invitations which resulted in an email being sent to him on 29/11/2018, indicating that he was at risk of being removed from the course and that he should attend a meeting to discuss this on 03/12/2018; removal from the course would in turn have affected his permission to remain in the UK on his student visa. There was no face to face meeting with Xuanze in advance of the email being sent to him on 29/11/2018, and neither Xuanze’s family nor his guardian were informed that Xuanze was not attending his university course, nor were they informed of the meeting he had been requested to attend to discuss his removal from the course.

On 03/12/18 shortly before 5 a.m. Xuanze left his student accommodation and went to Coventry Railway station. He walked to the end of platform one and proceeded along the side of the tracks. Approximately 500 meters outside of Coventry Railway station heading south, Xuanze was struck by a passenger train which caused him to sustain catastrophic injuries. He is likely to have died instantly as a result of the collision and his life was formally declared extinct at 07:35 hours. The inquest conclusion is suicide.

(.1) The University did not have a face to face meeting with Xuanze, a student under the age of 18, prior to sending him the email dated 29/11/2018 indicating that he was at risk of being removed from the course and that he should attend a meeting to discuss this on 03/12/2018;

(.2) In the absence of a face to face meeting with Xuanze, the University did not contact either Xuanze’s Guardian or Parents prior to sending Xuanze the email dated 29/11/2018 indicating that Xuanze was at risk of being removed from the course and that he should attend a meeting to discuss this on 03/12/2018;

Evidence was given at the inquest that in the case of an overseas student under 18, notwithstanding both prolonged absence from academic commitments and a persistent omission to respond to email requests that the absentee student should make contact with the university, there was no procedure or policy in place either for a face to face meeting with the student or, in the absence of such a face to face meeting, for contacting that student’s Guardian or Parents, prior to the email being sent indicating that the U.18 student was at risk of being removed from the course and that he should attend a meeting to discuss this.