thomas millward
Thomas Millward died after falling down some stairs, an inquest heard Family handout

A "sensational" first-year Cambridge University student died after taking a legal high and falling down a stairwell, an inquest has heard.

Engineering student Thomas Millward, originally from Cheltenham, was found naked and unconscious at the bottom of stairs at the university's Girton College on 5 March last year.

Read more

The fall saw the 19-year-old sustain a "traumatic" brain injury. He died the following day at the city's Addenbrooke's Hospital.

His girlfriend, fellow Cambridge student Daniella Mieloszyk, gave evidence at an inquest into his death on Monday (20 November).

She told of how, hours before the tragedy, the pair had each taken two tabs of the then legal high "1p LSD" on the day of her boyfriend's death.

The 21-year-old said neither of them had taken the now-banned hallucinogen before, and were both "overwhelmed" by the substance.

She said her recollection of the day was "hazy" and the mind-altering effects of the drug had seen them alternate between shouting for help and trying to sleep.

"I think we underestimated and naively didn't realise what it would be like and had expectations that it would be something that was a fun and positive experience which would be interesting to have," she told the inquest, as reported by The Sun.

Mieloszyk told the jury how, some time later, she felt she had woken up and came out of her room to discover her boyfriend injured at the bottom of the stairs.

"As soon as I opened the door I saw another student called Hamish and I saw Thomas lying next to him," she said.

"I thought it was like a dream and I just kept saying: 'We took a drug' as if we could realise it's not real."

Millward, a talented sportsman, had suffered a concussion in a rugby match three days before his death and suffered from dizziness, the hearing at Huntingdon Law Courts also heard.

Furthermore, the inquest was told he regularly slid down the banister of the staircase with his back facing the drop.

Consultant neurosurgeon Stephen Price, of Addenbrooke's Hospital, told the jury Millward died of a "severe and traumatic brain injury".

The teen's parents, Brian and Maisa Millward, said their son was a "sensational" student. They told the court his organs had been donated so that he could help others.

The inquest continues.