By Enyichukwu Enemanna
The University of Buckingham, London, has suspended its Vice-Chancellor, Prof. James Tooley, for allegedly having an affair with a young woman, considered an adult, who hails from the city of Hyderabad, India.
The woman, whose identity is not revealed for fear of discrimination, now in her 20s, had claimed that she had a sexual relationship with Prof. Tooley, an allegation the 65-year-old professor has denied.
In news published in an India-based online platform, Tooley is reported to have assisted the lady with the payment of her university fees.
In her personal diary, the Indian woman claimed that she had a sexual relationship with Prof. Tooley, an allegation that came to public attention after the professor’s wife handed over copies of the diaries written by the young woman to the university where her husband works.
The accusations are said to have come from his 42-year-old wife, Cynthia, handing over copies of diaries penned by the younger woman.
The professor’s wife, Cynthia, 42, is a first-generation immigrant originally from Nigeria. She arrived in the UK at the age of 21 to study her postgraduate degree and has two bi-racial children.
The Times quoted her as saying she was 18 when she first met Prof. Tooley, who was in his 50s then, and that their sexual relationship started when she reached the age of 21—an age she later updated to mean 25.
The alleged relationship began after Prof. Tooley got involved in a project in the Indian city of Hyderabad, aimed at providing low-cost private schools for poor communities.
He was alleged to have known the woman’s father and contributed towards the payment of her school fees before a relationship started between the duo when the lady graduated.
Prof. Tooley has led the private university, which was co-founded by Margaret Thatcher, since 2020, when he succeeded historian Sir Anthony Seldon.
His suspension is contained in a letter to students in October this year.
In reaction, he issued a statement through his lawyer, describing the allegations against him as “baseless and malicious,” adding that he would soon be “vindicated.”
The woman, now claiming to have had a relationship with Prof. Tooley, was quoted by the Times as saying:
“Anyone who reads my diaries can see I was in love with him and wanted to be with him.
“He was kind and thoughtful and always treated me with respect. People will say he used me because he has power and money, but that’s not the case. He is a good man who cares a lot about other people.”
