Draft:Death of Caitlyn Scott-Lee

• Comment: Coverage is derivative of family statements, WP:NOTNEWS applies (t · c) buidhe 08:35, 30 December 2023 (UTC)

• Comment: Thank you for your work on this draft. I am declining it at this time as this article on an event does not yet have a diverse set of independent secondary sources. It appears that sources 1-3 are the subject's mother, which would not be considered independent per WP:IIS. Source 4 is a LinkedIn user profile, which would not be considered reliable per WP:RSPLINKEDIN as it is an example of user-generated content. Its use here may be acceptable for verifying fact, but not for establishing notability. Source 7 is not independent of the subject as it is a website established as a tribute to the subject. The strongest sources here are The Telegraph and Bucks Free Press which are independent and can be used to establish notability. Please consider resubmitting after more secondary reliable sources are located.  Vanilla  Wizard 💙 23:46, 18 December 2023 (UTC)

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Caitlyn Scott-Lee

Caitlyn Fiona Scott-Lee (born October 7, 2003) was a student of Wycombe Abbey School, who died by suicide on the school's campus on April 21, 2023.

Life

Scott-Lee was born at Heatherwood Hospital in Ascot, England, to Tara and Jonathan Scott-Lee.

Scott-Lee attended primary schools at St Mary Abbots, South Kensington London until the family moved to Singapore in 2013. There, she attended Stamford American International School, later transferring to a local Singaporean school, Tanjong Katong Primary School, which welcomed international students. During her last year at Tanjong Katong Primary School, Scott-Lee sought entry to a British boarding school, and applied to St Mary’s Calne, Cheltenham Ladies College, and Wycombe Abbey School, all of which accepted her. She chose to attend Wycombe Abbey School, and moved to the UK to begin boarding in Junior House in September 2018.

Scott-Lee's parents had divorced by the time of her death, with her mother living in the United Kingdom and her father living in Hong Kong.

Education at Wycombe Abbey

Scott-Lee was one of Wycombe Abbey’s star pupils. She was diagnosed with autism in 2022 a year before her death and had already begun seeking treatment.

Scott-Lee, aged 16, was given a detention after vodka and a tattoo kit was found in her music locker just before the Easter 2023 holidays. She was upset at the prospect of the detention that she ran away from a prestigious choral event on March 21, 2023 at Eton College where she was due to sing. It was subsequently confirmed that this was not an act of rebellion but instead a cry for help.

The concept of a detention preyed on Scott-Lee's mind throughout the Easter holidays and her father, Jonathan Scott-Lee, confirmed that “[Caitlyn] even spoke to her housemistress and asked for an upgrade to a ‘suspension’, despite the fact that it was a more severe punishment."

Death

Scott-Lee's body was discovered in a wooded area near the playing fields at Wycombe Abbey School on April 21, 2023. She had been due to attend a "headmistress’s detention" the next morning of Saturday April 22, 2023. The suicide was a surprise to many, including Wycombe Abbey and Scott-Lee's parents, and her father was quoted by The Sunday Times stating it had never crossed his mind: “Yet, like most teenagers, she… kept her thoughts close to her chest and pondered deeply".

Investigation

Diary and suicide note

Shortly after Scott-Lee's death, an extensive diary was discovered spanning the entirety of Scott-Lee’s attendance at Wycombe Abbey (2018 to 2023). Thames Valley Police confiscated the diary and passed it onto the Coroner’s office for review, who subsequently returned the diary to the parents. A suicide note was discovered within the diary, written on Thursday April 20, a day before Scott-Lee took her life. In the note, Scott-Lee wrote

“I hope this is my last diary entry. I want to kill myself tomorrow” and subsequently thanked fellow pupils for their friendship and love, wished them luck, and wrote goodbye.

In the same suicide note, Scott-Lee also explained that she had run away from the prestigious choral event at Eton College as a cry out for help, seemingly accusing the school for its failure in safeguarding:

“F*** [Wycombe Abbey]. Running away was the best cry out for help I could give and [Wycombe Abbey] responded with ‘we’d normally punish you but you’re already getting punished.' Safeguarding my arse.”

Hacking Scott-Lee’s devices

Scott-Lee’s devices (two Apple iPads and an Apple iPhone) were also detained by Thames Valley Police, but its Forensic Cyber Teams were unable to crack the devices with GrayKey software and subsequently returned the devices to the family. In the process, Thames Valley Police lost Scott-Lee’s SIM card. However, Scott-Lee’s father was a cybersecurity specialist having been poached from Standard Chartered by HSBC to lead the bank's Asia Pacific Cybersecurity division. Mr Scott-Lee was able to hack into Scott-Lee's devices using techniques he learnt early in his career as an ethical hacker. Following the hack, Mr Scott-Lee was able to uncover previously undisclosed information such as a colour coded “mood blanket” which listed Scott-Lee’s mood from January 1, 2023 to the day she died. Mr Scott-Lee has since been placed on sabbatical from his employer HSBC, but has since accepted a Visiting Research Fellowship at the University of Cambridge.

Suicide Disclosure to the NHS

Less than a month after Scott-Lee's death, it became apparent that Scott-Lee had actually contacted an NHS General Practitioner disclosing that she was suicidal. The Sunday Times reported that she was subsequently “assessed as ‘low risk’ and given a follow-up appointment for six weeks later:

“Caitlyn had made an appointment herself to see a GP in High Wycombe, close to the £44,000-a-year school, on March 30 to talk about her anxiety, depression and having suicidal feelings. She was referred to Buckinghamshire’s child and adolescent mental health services. On April 3, a mental health nurse assessed Scott-Lee as ‘low risk’ following a phone consultation, and another specialist appointment was scheduled for May 16. She killed herself on April 21.”

Inquest

The inquest into Scott-Lee’s death was originally due to be heard on September 14, 2023, but was delayed to April 2024, due to the addition of the NHS as an Interested Party subsequent to the discovery that Scott-Lee had sought help from the NHS and was prioritised as low priority.

Professor Sir Simon Baron-Cohen, director of Cambridge University's autism research centre, reiterated that the "low risk" assessment and delay in receiving NHS specialist help was "shocking and wrong", further referring to guidelines published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence in September 7, 2022 to Healthcare providers in respect to "Self-harm: assessment, management and preventing recurrence" and referring to Section 1.6 of the guidelines which explicitly mandate:

• 1.6.1 Do not use risk assessment tools and scales to predict future suicide or repetition of self-harm.
• 1.6.2 Do not use risk assessment tools and scales to determine who should and should not be offered treatment or who should be discharged.
• 1.6.3 Do not use global risk stratification into low, medium or high risk to predict future suicide or repetition of self-harm.
• 1.6.4 Do not use global risk stratification into low, medium or high risk to determine who should be offered treatment or who should be discharged.

Subsequently, the Coroner requested that the NHS clarify its use of risk assessment, given that Scott-Lee had sought help from the NHS, prioritised as low priority and died by suicide days before the follow-up appointment. The first pre-inquest review of the case was heard at Beaconsfield Coroner's Court in September 2023, where Senior Coroner Crispin Butler said there would never be a "100 per cent picture" of what happened in April, something that "wasn't entirely visible to anyone, maybe not even to Caitlyn". A further pre-inquest review of the case will be held before a final hearing, which is expected to take place in the spring of 2024.

The Family of Scott-Lee are represented by barrister Dr Anton van Dellen KC, and Wycombe Abbey School are represented by barrister Dominic Kay KC. from Crown Office Chambers.

Reactions

In the days following Scott-Lee's death, a memorial website was created to raise awareness of Scott-Lee’s death. Through the website, Scott-Lee's family selected the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds as the primary beneficiary of charitable donations. Thousands of pounds have been raised for the RSPB.

Wycombe Abbey

Within days of Scott-Lee’s death, Wycombe Abbey had appointed solicitors and a PR crisis management team. The school provided early responses stating that:

“safeguarding is our highest priority and the continued wellbeing and happiness of each and every one of our pupils lies at the heart of everything we do here. We are only too well aware of the crucial importance of effective pastoral support for the young people in our care and our pupils know that staff are always available to listen to them and support them.”

Caitlyn's father has been prompt to defend Wycombe Abbey School, “I’ve always said to the school I do not blame the school, although it would be prudent to explore improvements. As a father, it is important that I honour Caitlyn the best I can.” He also added that

"It is too juvenile to merely proclaim that Wycombe Abbey is a pressured academic institution. It is amongst the elite of British public-school institutions," he said. "It is equally simplistic to parrot the term 'mental health'. Instead, Caitlyn's name can be better honoured through effecting change to ensure that our government and prime minister prioritise funding to raise awareness and provide the specialist support and training for staff that is needed for neurodiverse children to thrive at school."

Deakin & Francis Jewellers

Nevertheless, Mr Scott-Lee has been grief-stricken following Scott-Lee's suicide and was reported to have been seen "wander[ing] the streets for hours" once he returned to London following his daughter's death. During this time, he stumbled into the Piccadilly Arcade flagship store of Deakin & Francis, who had heard the news about Scott-Lee's death and offered to create and gift him a mourning ring, containing locks of his daughter's hair.

Politicians

In the months following Scott-Lee’s death, the family were invited to meet notable leaders. Scott-Lee’s father accepted numerous invitations and subsequently receiving contact from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the Secretary of State for Education Gillian Keegan, the Under-Secretary of State for Special Education Needs and Families Claire Coutinho (now The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate), The Secretary of State for Heath and Social Care Steve Barclay, Autism expert Simon Baron-Cohen, and Lambeth Palace. Mr Scott-Lee stated that he is “…open to seeing what we can do to raise awareness of autism and suicide prevention,” In a letter sent from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to Mr Scott-Lee, Sunak writes

“I want you to know that I support your calls for creating more awareness for neurodiverse talent, and I think the work that you are doing in this area is excellent. I am sure your message will resonate with many others who may be internally struggling and in need of better understanding and support.”

Psychologists and Psychiatrists

Simon Baron-Cohen, a leading expert on autism, said the delay in receiving specialist NHS psychiatric help because Scott-Lee was treated as low risk was “shocking and wrong”. Baron-Cohen, director of Cambridge University’s autism research centre, is backing a campaign by Scott-Lee’s father for all autistic children who disclose suicidal or depressive feelings to be seen within 24 hours by a specialist. He further added that: “The combination of being autistic and depressed makes that child high risk, we need a rapid response pathway when an autistic child [reports] suicidal feelings — and everyone involved, including teachers and doctors, should be a part of that rapid response. If you are trying to prevent a death, you can’t hang around.”

HSBC

Scott-Lee's father echos the sentiments from Simon Baron-Cohen stating that those with autism like his daughter "tend to think of the world in binary terms." The Straits Times in Singapore confirmed that the family relocated the family from Singapore to Hong Kong in 2020 where he began working at HSBC as the bank's Chief Information Security Officer Asia Pacific whilst simultaneously becoming HSBC's Neurodiversity Ambassador to champion those who think differently. In an OpEd published on December 3, 2022 by the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong, Mr Scott-Lee stated that he

"hope[d] to shine the spotlight on the wealth of untapped talent among neurodiverse people across Asia-Pacific and highlight how financial institutions like HSBC and other leading banks are proactively considering this talent pool to accelerate their growth across the region"

HSBC also published a video of Mr Scott-Lee entitled "Why I do what I do" highlighting his background in cybersecurity and showcasing "how his neurodiversity enables him to apply hyper focused attention to his critical work protecting the bank".

Autism Centre of Excellence at Cambridge

On Sunday 8 October 2023, The Sunday Telegraph reported that the "Family of autistic schoolgirl [will] fund research into suicides" Scott-Lee's parents decided

"...the best way Caitlyn's memory can be honoured was through a partnership with Cambridge University's Autism Centre of Excellence, whose ambassadors include Holland, the musician and TV presenter, and Ms Ecclestone, the Formula One heiress and philanthropist. Sir Robert Buckland, the former Lord High Chancellor and chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Autism, said on LinkedIn: 'I am pleased to support The Autism Centre of Excellence at Cambridge's fundraising campaign to support their work on suicide prevention for autistic people, in memory of Caitlyn Scott-Lee, who sadly died in April 2023, aged 16.'"