Story by Will Bolton
The head of a Cambridge college has called for an investigation into the “media onslaught” against Jason Arday.
Mr Arday was pronounced dead at an address in Battersea, south London, on Friday.
He had resigned from his position as professor of sociology of education the week before after a plagiarism row.
Lord Woolley, the principal of Homerton College, Cambridge, said the 41-year-old had been subjected to the “most horrendous, toxic, vicious witch hunt” before his death.
Speaking on Sunday, the crossbench peer said: “We need an investigation into the media onslaught, the vicious media onslaught.”
Lord Woolley told BBC’s Broadcasting House that he had met Mr Arday on Monday along with a number of close friends. He said Diane Abbott, the Labour MP, and Misan Harriman, an activist, were among those present at the gathering as they too had been “subject to horrible media attention”.
“He said he felt hounded to death, his words. And he couldn’t see a way out,” said Lord Woolley.
“Diane said to him, she held his hand, and said we will help you get through this. But on that day we saw a man half his body weight and desperate beyond belief.”
He added: “It was a blood sport. This wonderful big-hearted young man never stole a bag of crisps.
“He was only accused of plagiarism; actually, he was found not culpable of plagiarism by John Moores University and yet he was subject to the most horrendous, toxic, vicious witch hunt I would argue very few of us would withstand.”
Lord Woolley said he had met Mr Arday shortly before his death
Mr Arday, who was Cambridge’s youngest black professor, resigned from its faculty of education after the university launched an investigation into his academic qualifications.
The university was also separately considering a number of complaints of alleged academic misconduct.
The Telegraph had found that an analysis of his PhD thesis had shown that more than 180 separate passages were identical or near-identical to another student’s work.
An investigation by Liverpool John Moores University, where Mr Arday completed his PhD, cleared him of wrongdoing, and he always denied the accusation.
‘Literally a blood sport’
Lord Woolley had been among the signatories to an open letter defending Mr Arday against claims of plagiarism when the allegations emerged.
He said that while academia always had to be rigorous in rooting out plagiarism and falsehoods, “this was not rigour, this has been a blood sport, literally a blood sport”.
“There are constant questions about research misuse and plagiarism… There are a number of individuals who have all been subject to accusations and findings of plagiarism, not one of them has been subject to the degree Jason Arday has.
He added: “You also have to understand the whole of the black community and black academics are being brought into this debate as though we don’t belong in these positions because we are, collectively, the diversity, equity and inclusion hires.”
Lord Woolley said that of the 975 professors at Cambridge, less than 0.5 per cent were black, adding: “Black people are not given any special favours in entering these hallowed institutions.”
Mr Arday is survived by his wife and two children. His family paid tribute to him as a “gentle man” and an “amazing father, partner, brother, uncle and son”.
On Saturday, Prof Deborah Prentice, Cambridge University’s vice chancellor, said her “thoughts and deepest condolences” were with Mr Arday’s family and loved ones.
Speaking to broadcasters on Saturday, Andy Burnham expressed his condolences to Mr Arday’s family and called for a “moment of reflection”.
The Prime Minister said: “It’s a tragedy on so many levels, but particularly just for everybody who knew Jason, his family obviously, his friends. We think of them today.
“It’s not a moment for any rushing to judgment. It’s a moment for reflection, I would say, reflecting on how things came to this.”
