The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Buckingham, Prof. James Tooley, has been suspended following allegations of a sexual relationship with a young woman from Hyderabad, India.
The accusations surfaced after Tooley’s Nigerian wife, Cynthia, handed over the woman’s diaries to the university, reportedly detailing the alleged affair.
The woman, now in her 20s, claims she had a sexual relationship with the 65-year-old professor, who has vehemently denied the allegations.
“The claims made against me are baseless and malicious,” Tooley stated through his lawyer, expressing confidence that he would soon be “vindicated.”
The diaries, cited by The Times, suggest the alleged relationship began after Tooley supported the young woman’s education while working on a project providing low-cost private schools in Hyderabad. She claims the professor, who knew her father, helped pay her tuition fees, and the relationship developed after her graduation.
“Anyone who reads my diaries can see I was in love with him and wanted to be with him,” the woman told The Times. “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.”
Cynthia, Tooley’s 42-year-old wife and a Nigerian immigrant, is said to have met him when she was 18, and their own relationship began when she was either 21 or 25, according to varying reports. Cynthia, who moved to the UK for postgraduate studies, has two biracial children with Tooley.
Tooley, who has led the University of Buckingham since 2020, succeeded historian Sir Anthony Seldon in heading the private institution, co-founded by Margaret Thatcher.
The scandal has drawn significant attention, with the university addressing the suspension in a letter to students in October. The outcome of the investigation remains pending.
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