At the end of last week, an allegation of sexual harassment against a student was posted on group chat shared by students within one of our Halls. The student who posted the allegation has been identified and can offer no evidence to back the claim. The message has also been shared more widely outside the College, which has compounded the detrimental impact on the student named.
The sharing of an allegation in this way is currently being investigated by the police as a malicious communication. We are cooperating with the police and, in parallel, commencing our own disciplinary process, as malicious messages of this nature constitute a breach of the College’s Regulations.
Posting unsubstantiated allegations like this, even on closed groups, breaches both criminal and civil law. While the matter is under investigation, we will not be commenting further.
Our online reporting portal,
RH Be Heard, provides a clear process for all students to tell us about any misconduct that they either experience or witness and all reports are investigated.
If you have been affected by this, please contact our Wellbeing team at
supportingyouroyalholloway.ac.uk.
Dr Jon Howden-Evans
Director, Student and Academic Services