Art student, 20, Who Dreamed of a Career in Hollywood Hangs Herself After Fearing Man Who Sexually Assaulted her Would Escape Justice

Two days after celebrating her 20th birthday Hannah Armstrong (pictured) moved to The Arts University in Bournemouth, Dorset, where she hoped to make a 'fresh start' following the attack. She had reported it to police but feared bumping into her attacker in her home town of Ballymena in Northern Ireland. 

Two weeks into her new life she confided in a friend that she feared the man she accused of assaulting her would escape justice and wanted to hurt herself. The concerned friend immediately called the police but when officers knocked on Hannah's halls of residence door she had already hanged herself. Recording a verdict of suicide on Tuesday, Coroner Sheriff Payne said: 'This is a very sad story of a young 20-year-old woman who suffered from depression in recent years. It is with great sadness that I have to record a verdict that she took her own life.'

Officers from Dorset Police attended the halls of residence on Madeira Road, in Bournemouth, and found her hanging. Paramedics tried to revive her but she died at the scene.

In a statement read at the inquest, Hannah's mother, Dr Hilary Armstrong, a GP who runs a cosmetic skin clinic, said her daughter was diagnosed with ADHD and a mental illness in 2011 after her grades slipped and 'she had lost her sparkle'. 

Prescribed medication improved her outlook on life, she said.

Dr Armstrong added: 'Hannah was the eldest of four children. She was bright, happy and highly intelligent. 

'She had a passion for drawing and nature, and was an exceptionally gifted artist. She spent all of her free time out of school drawing and sculpting.