Tragedy: ‘First class’ student dies after taking anti-depressants to combat exam stress

A final year student at the University of Hull who was on track to get a first class honours degree is dead.

David Connell, 21, died after taking anti-depressants, Etizolam, which he bought online to combat exam stress.The drug is approved in Japan and India but banned for human use in most of Europe, Mirror reports.

His body was found when his housemates broke down the door to his room after not seeing him for five days.

After his body was discovered, police found a clear bag labelled ‘etizolam: reagent only. Not for human consumption’ in his bin, along with a blue, granular substance around his body.

According to the Liverpool Echo, Connell was in the third year of his computer science course and was a prominent member of the university’s hockey club.

Connell’s father said his son appeared completely normal the last time he came home.

“When David came home he seemed completely normal and was no different. When we heard what happened it was a total shock to us. When David was at home he was perfectly normal and speaking to his friends at home.

“I had dropped him off at the station and he had even played a little trick on me in the car which was absolutely normal,” he said..