A London College of Fashion student killed himself five days after being found on the edge of a bridge - but neither police nor doctors told his parents about the incident on the bridge.

Henry Curtis-Williams, 21, a fashion photography student at the prestigious college, was found dead less than a week after he was released from a psychiatric ward, an inquest has heard.

He had been rescued by police at the Orwell Bridge in Ipswich near his family's Suffolk home days before he was found hanged in a cemetery near his halls of residence in Acton , west London.

His parents, who are separated, only discovered three weeks later that he was saved by police from the bridge five days earlier on May 11, 2016, the inquest heard.

They then received a letter of condolence from health chiefs which wrongly referred to him as "William," West London Coroner's Court was told.

His parents believe he would still be alive if health chiefs at Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust had alerted them to the earlier scare, the inquest heard.

Coroner Dr Sean Cummings said he will write a prevent future deaths report to the trust to ensure improvements are made.

Henry’s mother, Pippa Travis-Williams, said in a statement to the inquest it was “very difficult to comprehend” they were not told about the bridge incident.

She said: “We didn’t receive a letter of condolence from the trust for seven-and-a-half weeks, and even then they incorrectly named Henry as William.”

His father, Stuart Curtis, a furniture dealer, said: “Prior to his death I didn’t have any knowledge of his mental health issues.

“I could not believe that others knew of my son’s predicament.”

The student went to the bridge the day after his 21st birthday, heading there after his mum dropped him off at a train station in Suffolk, believing he would travel back to his university halls.

In the days prior, he had unexpectedly returned home to his family, who thought he would spend his birthday in London, and celebrated with relatives including his mother, father and grandmother.

Mr Curtis said: “He said it was not one of the best birthdays, he didn’t elaborate any more.”

Police who found Henry at the bridge took him to the Woodlands Mental Health Unit, in Ipswich, before he agreed to be admitted as a “voluntary patient” to the Southgate Ward of Wedgwood House, another unit in Bury St Edmunds.

Dr Vivien Peeler, the consultant psychiatrist at Woodlands who first saw him, said he was “emphatic” his parents should not be told about the crisis.

She said: “Under no circumstances were we to contact his family in any fashion. I can recollect two occasions where we tried to persuade him.”

Dr Peeler said Henry showed “capacity” and they opted to admit him as a voluntary in-patient, rather than section him under the Mental Health Act.

She said: “If they elect other people were not to be informed of their situation, you have to abide by that.”

When he arrived at the Southgate Ward, he was seen by Beverly Smith, a primary health nurse who admitted she failed to note his “suicidal ideations”.

She disagreed when asked by Dr Cummings whether it was “scruffy” not to include that in the patient note.

But the coroner said: “He came in having threatened to kill himself and you were his one-to-one nurse and the extent of your assessment was he was low in mood, poor self-esteem, in hushed tones, unable to make eye contact.

"But you didn’t mention the suicidal ideation at all.”

Dr Alan Kershaw, a first-year psychiatry doctor, then assessed Henry along with a multidisciplinary team of other experts on the ward.

He told the inquest: “He was a very warm, friendly and approachable young man who seemed to be genuinely wanting to get to grips with his struggles and difficulties.”

Referring to the bridge incident, Dr Kershaw said: “He described it as a cry for help and he said that the help had now been received.”

The coroner asked whether Henry’s positive manner was a “deliberate” attempt to encourage a self-discharge from hospital.

Dr Kershaw said: “That’s something that’s very, very difficult to say. I don’t think we will know what Henry’s thoughts at that time were.”

Giving expert evidence, Dr William Shanahan, the medical director of Nightingale Hospital in central London, said it was right not to tell Henry’s parents.

He said: “The patient has rights. We must and we do abide by those wishes.”

But he said Dr Kershaw’s lack of experience meant a consultant doctor should also have been asked before Henry was discharged.

He described Henry as “deeply and profoundly depressed.”

He said: “I think Dr Kershaw did what he could do, but I think when somebody is admitted in such a serious state as this, there should be a consultant available to oversee the discharge.”

Dr Cummings gave a verdict of suicide.

Where to get help if you're struggling

You don’t have to suffer in silence if you’re struggling with your mental health.

Here are some groups you can contact when you need help.

Samaritans: Phone 116 123, 24 hours a day, or email jo@samaritans.org, in confidence.

Childline: Phone 0800 1111. Calls are free and won’t show up on your bill.

PAPYRUS: A voluntary organisation supporting suicidal teens and young adults. Phone 0800 068 4141.

Depression Alliance: A charity for people with depression. No helpline but offers useful resources and links to other information.

Students Against Depression: A website for students who are depressed, have low mood, or are suicidal. Find out more here.

Bullying UK: A website for both children and adults affected by bullying. Find out more here.

Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM): For young men who are feeling unhappy. There's a website and a helpline: 0800 58 58 58.

He said: “Henry was academically bright. He went to university in London.

“Unfortunately he was unhappy there and worried about not keeping up with his studies.

“There were some deep-seated issues stemming from his childhood.”

The inquest heard a serious incident review by the mental health trust for Norfolk and Suffolk made several recommendations to improve care.

The coroner added: “I’m going to be writing a report to prevent future deaths and that will be directed to the mental health trust in Norfolk and is in relation to monitoring improvements that were described to me.”