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Resignation, then death
Jason Arday, the former University of Cambridge professor implicated in a plagiarism scandal, resigned earlier this month and was later found dead on Friday, according to British media reports citing a statement from the Metropolitan Police Service.
“after receiving a call that a man had been found unconscious inside a property”
The Metropolitan Police Service said officers were alerted by the London Ambulance Service “after receiving a call that a man had been found unconscious inside a property” in the Battersea area, and that “a 41-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene.”
Arday, 41, had resigned after Cambridge announced an investigation into “new information” about his “academic qualifications and honorary appointments,” while the university said ongoing complaints about alleged academic misconduct were handled separately under its Misconduct in Research policy.
In his resignation letter posted on social media, Arday wrote that resigning was “the only way” to end what he called a “difficult period,” while insisting the decision should not be “confused with an acceptance of the narratives” surrounding him.
Debate over scrutiny
After Arday’s resignation, Cambridge Vice-Chancellor Professor Deborah Prentice said the alleged misconduct was “an aberration” and pledged a thorough investigation, while insisting it should not be used “to smear” other minority ethnic academics.
In a statement after Arday’s death, Cambridge Vice-Chancellor Professor Deborah Prentice said, “Our heartfelt sympathies go to Jason Arday's family and friends at this incredibly difficult time,” and U.K. Education Secretary Lucy Powell urged people to give them privacy.
Arday’s resignation came after questions about his background and qualifications, and he said in his open letter published by the Good Law Project that “This is not the end of my work. It is simply the end of this chapter.”
The Metropolitan Police Service said at the time that “At this time, his death is being treated as unexplained, but it is not believed to be suspicious,” and that officers from the Metropolitan Police South Central Command Unit were investigating the case.
What comes next
Cambridge said it would launch an immediate investigation into Arday’s case, with Labour Minister Tahmina Akhter telling reporters, “We will hold the owners fully accountable,” in a separate context about the Narayanganj factory fire, while for Arday’s case Cambridge said it would not comment further until its inquiry concluded.
“At this time, his death is being treated as unexplained, but it is not believed to be suspicious”
In the days leading up to his resignation, Arday faced allegations that included plagiarism in his doctoral thesis and questions about his “academic qualifications and honorary appointments,” and Cambridge opened an investigation “following new information” about those matters.
After his death, the Metropolitan Police Service said a report would be prepared for the coroner, and that his closest relatives have been informed.
Arday’s family, speaking through his publisher Simon & Schuster, said they were “in shock to have lost this amazing father, partner, brother, uncle and son,” and described a “campaign of misinformation” that they said was “too much for Jason.”
