UK Varsity Vice-Chancellor Suspended Amid Allegations Of Affair With Hyderabad Woman

James Tooley, the vice-chancellor of the University of Buckingham in the United Kingdom, has been suspended following allegations of an affair with a woman from Hyderabad.

According to The Times, Tooley is alleged to have assisted the woman with her university fees.

The allegations surfaced after Tooley's estranged wife, Cynthia, reportedly provided copies of diaries believed to have been written by the woman and handed to Tooley. The suspension took effect in October, though the matter has only recently come to light. Tooley assumed the role of vice-chancellor in 2020.

The woman initially claimed she was 18 when she met Tooley and entered a sexual relationship with him three years later. However, she later retracted her statement, asserting that she was 25 when the relationship began, as reported by The Times.

The relationship allegedly started while Tooley was working on a project in Hyderabad to establish low-cost private schools for disadvantaged communities. The affair is said to have ended in 2019.

On 11 October, Cynthia notified the university administration about Tooley's alleged affair.

She also made various accusations, including reporting a "suspicious object" at Tooley's official residence in Buckingham.

Police subsequently seized a junior air rifle from his home, but no further investigation followed. Cynthia, who is of Nigerian origin and was awarded an MBE in 2017, married Tooley in 2022.

Tooley has categorically dismissed the accusations, describing them as "baseless."

The allegations are currently under investigation by senior counsel Joseph O'Brien KC, who is expected to deliver his findings before Christmas.