Father of autistic schoolgirl, 16, who killed herself at £44k-a-year Wycombe School before her first-ever detention says opportunities to stop the tragedy 'may have been missed'

• e-mail

The father of a 16-year-old autistic schoolgirl who killed herself at the £44,000-a-year Wycombe School before her first-ever detention said opportunities to stop the tragedy 'may have been missed'.

Jonathan Scott-Lee's daughter Caitlyn killed herself at the prestigious boarding school on April 21 last year after having detailed her plan to take her own life in a personal diary.

She had become over-anxious and depressed after she was given a detention when a half-empty bottle of vodka was found in her locker. 

Last week a Buckinghamshire Coroner recorded a verdict of suicide for her death and ruled that no one could have envisaged that the talented musician described by her father as a 'daddy's girl' would take her own life. 

But now her father Jonathan, 42, has said he wonders if the fact his daughter had autism was appropriately considered by the coroner.

Caitlyn Scott-Lee killed herself on April 21 last year after having detailed her plan to take her own life in a personal diary. Pictured: Caitlyn pictured alongside her father Jonathan on a skiing trip

The 16-ear-old had become over-anxious and depressed after she was given a detention when a half-empty bottle of vodka was found in her locker

Caitlyn was found dead the day before her first ever detention at Wycombe Abbey (pictured) 

The father, who was also diagnosed with autism aged 38, told The Sunday Times: 'I wonder whether Caitlyn’s narrative was fully heard. 

'Was autism appropriately considered in the context of her actions? I do feel opportunities [to prevent further tragedies] may have been missed.'

The senior executive at the banking giant HSBC lives in Malaysia and said he had no idea about the greater risk of suicide autistic people face until his daughter died.

Caitlyn, who was diagnosed a year before her death, had already achieved a lot in life, including passing her scuba-diving licence at age ten, modelling in Singapore and hiking the Great Wall of China. 

Her father spoke powerfully at the inquest last week where he paid tribute to his daughter and spoke of her interest in quizzes, photography and playing the trumpet.

But the heartbreak of losing his successful daughter, who was the eldest of three girls, has caused Mr Scott-Lee to wonder over the 'diligence of the investigation'.  

He said he is now considering his legal options which could include trying to open a new inquest or getting the boarding school associations to change its guidance.

The pupil took her own life at a prestigious private Buckinghamshire school, Wycombe Abbey School in April last year

Caitlyn is pictured with her family. She was the eldest of three girls 

In a tribute by her father, the coroner heard how Caitlyn had already achieved a lot in her life

Caitlyn was diagnosed with autism a year before her death

Caitlyn pictured reading 1999 young adult novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower by American author Stephen Chbosky

Founded in 1896, Wycombe Abbey usually gets some of the best A-level and GCSE results in the country. Caitlyn had been a boarder pupil since the age of 11 at its grand grade II listed building set in 200 acres of grounds.

According to her father, she chose the school after reading JK Rowling’s Harry Potter books.

Mr Scott-Lee said he respects the coroner's decision but has asked them to consider issuing a prevention of future deaths report which would recommend boarding schools communicate better with medical staff who might be treating their pupils.

It comes after the investigation revealed Caitlyn had been referred to Buckinghamshire’s child and adolescent mental health services with anxiety and depression during the Easter holidays, but she was not on the school’s list of seriously mentally ill girls.

The three-day inquest last week had heard the teen had become over-anxious and depressed after being given a detention for having the vodka after it was discovered following a disturbance in her dorm. 

Caitlyn expressed her concerns in a diary and also told her roommate that she would rather kill herself than face her first-ever detention at the school.  

During a meeting with her GP and a mental health nurse in the weeks before she died Caitlyn had admitted to having suicidal thoughts, but had not acted on them. 

In his findings the Coroner ruled that the school and health officials who met with the teen in the weeks before she died did not fail her. 'There was no systematic failure,' he said. 

He said the alcohol incident and Caitlyn's disappearance from a concert at Eton College days later did not show she was suffering a mental health crisis.

Caitlyn expressed her concerns in a diary and also told her roommate that she would rather kill herself than face her first-ever detention at the school

During a meeting with her GP and a mental health nurse in the weeks before she died Caitlyn had admitted to having suicidal thoughts, but had not acted on them 

A three-day hearing into the teenager's death took place in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, last week

Caitlyn's father Jonathan Scott-Lee (pictured) described the 16-year-old at the inquest as 'daddy's girl' whose memory will live on in the hearts of her family and friends

He stated: 'There was no evidence that would have assisted her school about what was to happen on April 23rd. There was no interaction that demonstrate a crisis of impending crisis.

'There was no clear evidence of a mental health crisis visible to anyone Caitlyn interacted with. No one other than Caitlyn could have known what was going to happen. The act that took her life was the outcome she had wanted.'

Extracts from Caitlyn's diary were read out in court in which she spoke about taking her own life. She also wrote that one entry would be her last.

The coroner said the diary contained her intentions along with the timing, location and method she would end her life.

Mr Scott-Lee and his estranged wife Tara sat a few feet away away from each other in the courtroom during the inquest.

Autism expert Sir Simon Baron-Cohen, a Cambridge professor, told The Sunday Times that autism is a risk factor for suicide.

Tara Scott-Lee, Caitlyn's mother, is pictured leaving Beaconsfield Coroners Court last week

Autism expert Sir Simon Baron-Cohen (pictured), a Cambridge professor, said coroners should know that autism is a risk factor for suicide, calling Caitlyn's case a 'wake up call' to improve the services for autistic people

He said coroners should know that, calling Caitlyn's case a 'wake up call' to improve the services for autistic people.

The academic said people with autism with a diagnosis of depression and anxiety should be fast-tracked to specialists because of their increased suicide risk.

One in every 36 children is thought to be autistic, although not all have been formally diagnosed.

Mr Scott-Lee, who went to a state school in Birmingham, has written to Wycombe Abbey’s headmistress, Jo Duncan, about setting up a legacy in Caitlyn’s name.

Ms Duncan said the school was consulting Caitlyn’s parents and friends about how best to remember her.

For confidential support, call Samaritans on 116 123, visit samaritans.org or visit https://www.thecalmzone.net/get-support