Full story
Death After Cambridge Resignation
Jason Arday, a former University of Cambridge professor, was found dead at an address in Battersea, south London, after being discovered unresponsive on Friday afternoon.
“after being notified that a man had been found unconscious at a property”
The Metropolitan Police Service said officers were alerted by the London Ambulance Service “after being notified that a man had been found unconscious at a property” in Battersea, and it added that “a 41-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene.”
Arday, 41, had resigned last week as professor of sociology of education after weeks of headlines alleging plagiarism in his academic work and questions about claims about his athletic and fundraising accomplishments.
The BBC reported Arday was found dead at an address in Battersea, south London, on Friday afternoon, and it quoted Prime Minister Andy Burnham calling the death “a tragedy on so many levels” while urging “a moment for reflection.”
Racism Claims and Calls
Arday’s family said in a statement issued through his publisher that he faced a “campaign of misinformation” that was “too much for Jason,” and it described him as having been subjected to “sustained abuse” for years.
Cambridge vice-chancellor Deborah Prentice said the faculty was “desperately saddened” by the death, while Labour MP Diane Abbott and actress Jameela Jamil were among signatories to a letter calling for an “immediate public inquiry into how to ensure a responsible press.”
The BBC reported Lord Woolley, principal of Homerton College, said Arday had been subjected to a “vicious witch hunt,” and it described Arday feeling “hounded” by relentless media coverage that he called “a bloodsport.”
In parallel, AP reported Prime Minister Andy Burnham said “It’s not a moment for any rushing to judgment. It’s a moment for reflection,” as outcries grew that the allegations were magnified into a cruel public takedown motivated by racism and hostility to DEI policies.
Investigations and What’s at Risk
Cambridge opened investigations into Arday’s employment after he resigned on 5 August, and it later said it had opened an investigation “following new information about Professor Arday’s qualifications and honorary appointments.”
“following new information about Professor Arday’s qualifications and honorary appointments”
The BBC reported Liverpool John Moores University, which awarded Arday his PhD in 2015, concluded that he had not plagiarised work, while the row first erupted after Nathan Cofnas said he found numerous instances of plagiarism in Arday’s work.
AP reported that Arday’s death prompted outcries that allegations were magnified into a cruel public takedown, and it quoted Simon Baron-Cohen telling the BBC that Arday was subjected to “relentless scrutiny, including ridicule, discrediting absolutely every detail of his life.”
In the wake of the death, the BBC also reported a vigil organised by Stand Up To Racism would be held on Monday evening on the steps of the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square, with co-convenor Weyman Bennett saying Arday’s death “was the result of a racist witch hunt.”
