Don Mohlabane was a part-time model and student at the University of Hertfordshire

A university fresher died from blood loss when he stabbed himself in front of horrified onlookers, an inquest heard.

Don Mohlabane, 18, was a student at the University of Hertfordshire when he took his own life by stabbing himself in his chest with a knife, after rampaging round the university in the early hours of the morning.

Coroner Geoffrey Sullivan said that a witness, student Pavan Ubhi, saw Don in the library one evening and said he was acting strangely.

Later that night when she walked back to her university flat, she said that he jumped on her whilst holding a knife on a grassy area outside the de Hallivan campus.

The coroner said: 'She walked back to her flat with her friend, Miayanka Naidoo. Walking along the path they saw a male but did not know him but had seen him on campus before.

'He jumped out and she thought he was playing a game of hide and seek of some sort but noticed he was holding a knife.

'He ran towards her, ran into her and pushed her over and he landed on top of her.

'He got off and began to chase Miayanka Naidoo who dropped her bag and ran back to the library.'

Ms Naidoo alerted two security guards. Other students had joined her before they saw Don holding something in his hand and watched him push it in and out of his chest, two or three times.

Don was reported by witnesses to have been acting strangely in the run-up to his death

A security guard shouted at him to stop but it was too late and he fell to the floor. Emergency services were promptly called.

The coroner heard that Don was put in an ambulance and rushed to the Lister Hospital at 2.40am where they opened up his chest and administered internal chest compressions.

Sadly however he could not be saved and was pronounced dead at 3.35am on May 12, 2015.

Paramedics opened Don's chest and administered internal chest compressions in a desperate bid to save him

Coroner Sullivan concluded that the cause of Don 's death was self-inflicted stab wounds to the chest and the medical cause was a cardiac arrest as a result of from lacerations to the lungs.

However, he said that he was not satisfied that the death was a suicide as he did not believe Don meant to seriously harm himself.

Police Constable Sophia Pidgeon, from Hertfordshire Police, told the coroner said that after the incident police carried out an investigation and searched Don's room.

A crowd of students watched the horror unfold out University of Hertfordshire's de Hallivan campus (file picture)

Officers found a note on the back of Don's door which read: 'Police, if you figure me out I swear you will save the world. I can't take this anymore, I'm going to explode. Shhh.'

Another on the ceiling said: 'For some reason I didn't think we have hope? What is hope anyway? This world is about to blow. Who is the deepest sleeper?'

Pc Pidgeon said that she talked with Don's family and friends but they were all at a loss as to why he stabbed himself.