Canterbury announces details of student death inquiry

Former judge will investigate death of student whose body lay undiscovered for nearly two months

Christopher Toogood, a former New Zealand High Court judge, is to lead a six-week independent inquiry into the death of a student at the University of Canterbury’s campus accommodation in Christchurch.

The body of the 19-year-old male student was not discovered for almost two months, raising questions about duty of care for both the university and Campus Living Villages, the Sydney-based Australian company that runs the Christchurch residential accommodation.