The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Buckingham, Professor James Tooley, has been suspended amid allegations of an affair with a young woman from Hyderabad, India.
The woman, now in her twenties, claims to have had a sexual relationship with the 65-year-old academic, a charge Tooley has vehemently denied.
The allegations surfaced after Tooley's wife, Cynthia, provided the university with copies of the woman's diaries. In these diaries, the woman asserts that Tooley assisted her with her university fees and details their relationship.
Cynthia Tooley, 42, is a Nigerian-born entrepreneur who married Tooley in February 2022; however, the couple reportedly separated over the summer and now communicate through legal representatives.
According to reports, the alleged relationship began after Tooley became involved in a project in Hyderabad focused on establishing low-cost private schools for impoverished communities.
The woman indicated that she first met Tooley when she was 18 and that their sexual relationship commenced when she was 21, although she later revised this to state she was 25 at the time.
Tooley has served as Vice-Chancellor since 2020 and is known for his advocacy of free speech and academic freedom.
He has criticized diversity initiatives and efforts to decolonize the curriculum. Following the allegations, university officials announced his suspension in October, stating that an independent inquiry would be conducted to investigate the claims.
In response to the accusations, Tooley's lawyer described them as "baseless and malicious," expressing confidence that he would ultimately be vindicated.
