Ex-Cambridge University professor at centre of plagiarism scandal found dead: UK media

LONDON - Black British academic Jason Arday, who resigned from the University of Cambridge last week amid a high-profile plagiarism storm that featured racism claims, was found dead on Aug 14, UK media outlets reported.

Arday, 41, died after being found unresponsive at an address in south London on the afternoon of Aug 14, Sky News and other media said, citing a statement from the capital’s Metropolitan Police Service.

The scandal erupted after some academics and media reports accused Arday, who became Cambridge’s youngest black professor in 2023, of plagiarising parts of his doctoral thesis.

The allegations have been seized on by British right-wing newspapers and commentators, who claim that he unfairly benefited from diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) policies.

Arday resigned from his Cambridge posts on Aug 5, shortly after the prestigious British institution announced a probe into the various accusations against him.

In a letter posted online, he said that quitting was “the only way” to end a “difficult period”, but insisted the decision should not be “mistaken for an acceptance of the narratives that have surrounded me”.

The university’s top administrator on Aug 12 had called Arday’s alleged wrongdoing “an aberration” and vowed a thorough investigation, while insisting it should not be used “to cast aspersions” on other academics from ethnic minority backgrounds.

His memoir - Great And Unfortunate Things - had been published in the United States the previous day, ahead of its planned release in Britain later this month. It has also attracted scrutiny.

A statement issued by London’s Metropolitan Police late on Aug 14 did not confirm the dead man’s identity.

It said officers were called by the London Ambulance Service “following a report that a man had been found unresponsive inside a property” in the Battersea neighbourhood.

“Sadly, a 41-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene,” it added, noting his next-of-kin had been informed.

“At this time, his death is being treated as unexpected, but is not believed to be suspicious.

“The case is being investigated by officers from the Met’s Central South Command Unit. A file will be prepared for the coroner.” AFP