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Found dead in Battersea
Jason Arday, the former University of Cambridge professor at the centre of a plagiarism row, was found dead at an address in Battersea, south London, after emergency services said a man was found "unresponsive" on Friday afternoon.
“found "unresponsive" at an address in Battersea, south London, on Friday afternoon”
The Metropolitan Police said: "At this time his death is being treated as unexpected, but is not believed to be suspicious."
Arday had resigned as a Cambridge professor of sociology of education last week after allegations of plagiarism and questions about some of his achievements, and he denied the claims while admitting errors in his work.
Cambridge vice-chancellor Prof Deborah Prentice said: "We are desperately saddened to hear this tragic news," as Education Secretary Lucy Powell urged people to "remember there are real people with loved ones involved."
Resignation amid scrutiny
Arday’s resignation followed weeks of public accusations of plagiarism and media scrutiny, with the BBC reporting that he had said the controversy had led to "an unrelenting level of public scrutiny and personal attack."
In his own words, he told the Times newspaper earlier this month: "I didn't murder somebody. I think the cruelty that I've experienced" was unacceptable.
The row first erupted after another academic, Nathan Cofnas, said he found numerous instances of plagiarism in Arday's work, and Arday said some errors in his early academic work arose because of his autism.
Supporters and politicians described the allegations as a "smear campaign" designed to undermine Arday and other Black people who hold "positions of influence," while Cambridge initially said the plagiarism allegations had been investigated by Liverpool John Moores University.
What happens next
Cambridge said it would investigate the circumstances around Arday’s employment after "new information" about his "academic qualifications and honorary appointments," and it also said ongoing complaints were being handled separately under its Misconduct in Research policy.
“following "new information" about his "academic qualifications and honorary appointments"”
Cambridge vice-chancellor Deborah Prentice said the university would run a review of its hiring processes and stressed that "our staff of color are highly valued, for their scholarship, their achievements and the contributions they make".
The BBC reported that Cambridge initially investigated claims of plagiarism regarding Arday's thesis and some journal publications via Liverpool John Moores University, which concluded that he had not plagiarised work.
Jolyon Maugham from campaign group Good Law Project said Arday's death was "a tragedy" and added: "I do not understand what the public interest was in continuing to hound him after he resigned".
