Jason Arday, Cambridge Plagiarist, thread two

[Angeruish]

We are nearing our 1000-post limit on the original thread:
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/education/5561878-jason-arday-cambridge-plagiarist?reply=153910946

I have now removed the question mark after "plagiarist".

I can't believe the sequel will be as good as the original, but you never know...

This just made me laugh out loud.

I haven’t read the original thread but I have met people like this IRL who tell such tall tales that it’s actually quite fascinating to see what they might say next. Agree Cambridge has not covered itself in glory here. Most of his lurid tales were easily fact checked. The question is, why weren’t they more curious? It’s up there with Nicola Sturgeon not noticing she was using daily a £2k condiment set or the £125k motor home her husband had bought…just wild that we’re supposed to believe that he was properly vetted at all. I wonder what his students made of his teaching?

Students complaining loudly, and were for years before Arday was busted.

One asked to be supervised by someone else and was accused of racism. Others made same request and I think managed to change teachers.

It seems that some students are launching legal actions against the university for this. Quite right too. I'd be furious that I had paid university tuition fees for a fraud and then been accused of being racist once a complaint was raised. Such arrogant behaviour on the part of Cambridge.

Would legal action against Arday be possible given that it is effectively fraudulently obtaining money by false representation? His salary was paid on the basis of his qualification to hold the post and if it is all lies then surely that has to be some kind of fraudulent behaviour? I'm sure that Cambridge won't have the spine to do it but is it theoretically possible?

There has to be some kind of deterrent for other academics considering this behaviour. Suspect it's more prevalent than we like to admit.

LBC had an interesting guest on their show yesterday, a lady who wrote a book called 'The Scientist Who Wasn't There'. Her father did exactly the same behaviour both in academia and in the pharmaceutical world. Faked his qualifications and his research. Led to a huge scandal with the contraceptive pill in the 80s I believe. It was really interesting what she was saying about why he had done it. The clip is on YouTube and worth a listen.

The book may sell rather more than it was going to, who knows...

A UK newspaper should pick up the serialisation rights. They could turn it into a comedy feature.

I wonder what the final degree classifications were of those whom Arday supervised?.I wonder if they had to do additional work to mitigate presumably poor supervision?

I wonder what the final degree classifications were of those whom Arday supervised?.I wonder if they had to do additional work to mitigate presumably poor supervision?

Complaints about the fuss being made do rather forget the massive fuss made by Cambridge, a compliant media and of course Arday himself about all the diversity boxes being ticked when he was given the chair in the first place.

One reason for this story to have such legs (sadly, in view of the damage it has caused) is that it one ridiculous claim has been followed up, pot-boiler fashion, by an even more incredible one at regular intervals.

But it is very difficult not to find it all quite entertaining, particularly since so many do-gooders have ended up with egg all over their largely white faces. While defendants of all description - some of whom are denying there is plagiarism despite the very obvious evidence - seem, even now, desperate to dig an even deeper pit to bury themselves in.

Following with interest. I have moments when I almost feel a little sorry for him but then I think of all the highly-qualified female academics working on temporary contracts and waiting for a permanent position, let alone a Chair.

Nick Adderley is the name to google for your preferred news source. He is the cop who faked his CV and was charged. It is in the court system. Might be different because he was a cop, but many of the articles on it will say what law he broke. Sample here.

Former Northants chief constable Nick Adderley court hearing delayed for more than a year (northantstelegraph.co.uk)

"Adderley had previously been charged with fraud, contrary to section 1 of the Fraud Act 2006."

Looking that up, yes, misrepresentation is fraud.

Fraud Act 2006 (legislation.gov.uk)

You just know this will eventually be the topic of a Netflix documentary

Following, thanks @Angeruish for the new thread!

It's amazing what managers of all sorts can overlook. I used to be a doctor (of the medical sort, not PhD) and was involved in re-establishing a badly needed service for patients; we had to advertise for new doctors. There weren't many applications but one came from Saudi Arabia, and to the simple q of the GMC number, he'd written that he didn't have one and didn't intend to register with the GMC.

(It's a legal necessity to be registered with the GMC if you work as a doctor in the UK. No ifs, no buts. As a Saudi doc he would probably have had to resit various exams including a language one to be accepted onto the medical register, a procedure that took even the best candidates up to 2 years).

But the service was desperate for doctors and the management asked me if that really mattered, was there a way around it!!

Sidetracking, I know, but is does demonstrate how distance from the coalface can lead to increasing blindness and stupidity!

I'd have been disappointed if I'd met him at a sixth form parents evening and realised he was teaching one of my kids, to be honest. Imagine all that hard slog to get to Cambridge and being faced with him as your supervisor? His students would have been academic giants over him.

But it is very difficult not to find it all quite entertaining, particularly since so many do-gooders have ended up with egg all over their largely white faces.

Being criticised is one thing but being a laughing stock is another and these folk who I’m sure take themselves very seriously, must hate being figures of fun.

Oh really!

Ok well I haven’t named any names of who I am talking about (because I don’t know any - it started as a general conversation because I mused - not knowing anything about SBC whether he might have autism if he can’t read a grifter so plainly obvious) and that’s how we got onto lots of profs very high in traits anyway but then there’s this other group and I am going to stop talking about it before I get sued 🫣

Glasgow university are now investigating his appointment there too. It seems it’s not just Cambridge that does not have appropriate hiring systems. It’s clearly a case of the face fitting the narrative they wanted to promote and it’s unbelievable really. Dreadful recruitment processes by both of them.

Apologies if these have already been posted:

(2) Sidsy on X: "Tik Tok account says he was at Heathbrook Primary School with Jason Arday who was far from mute... https://t.co/8SQLBnve4v" / X

(2) Philip Hensher on X: "It emerges that Jason Arday went to our nearest primary school, Heathbrook. Neighbours remember him - but as a completely normal small boy with no development issues. Can they all be wrong? It seems incredible." / X

I remain puzzled about him claiming qualifications he doesn’t have. For any academic position I’ve ever held, providing degree certificates and in some cases transcripts was completely standard.

And Durham ?
And Roehampton ?
Was he ever a PE teacher in a school ?
Presumably he did qualify for that.
Didn't he ...

Be interesting if people who encountered him
in all these settings
gave their impressions.
Somewhere I read that he claimed to have a Master's from KCL
which I doubt. Hope not.
Also Birkbeck
And something from or at Greenwich...

@cantabsupervisor The Times is reporting that Sonita Alleyne has removed her name from the Grift Law Project letter of support for Arday.

For those that don’t know her she’s the non-academic “right on” Master of Arday’s now ex college, Jesus College, and is well known for using her platform to campaign for social justice, academic standards: not so much. Jesus College used to be a proper college until she took over.

Years ago, when I was practising criminal law, a client pleaded guilty to exactly this - lying on a cv in order to secure a senior role.

At the time, it was charged as obtaining a pecuniary advantage by deception, under the Theft Act 1968, but this is now repealed. It would now be charged as something like fraud by false representation.

In addition to what previously has been mentioned on the thread (complaints about bad supervision met with accusations of racism and students suing the university), my understanding is some students were really disappointed in final grades. Arday allegedly told at least one of them that they were amazing and didn’t really need supervision only for the student to subsequently receive a very poor grade.

i feel desperately sorry for the students. It is such a huge thing to get into Cambridge and the cost of university is horrendous. If you then not are supervised properly and this can be linked to poor final grades (in addition to a massive student debt), it is terribly unfair.

That's really interesting.

Would it have to be the institution who went to the Police with a complaint or could the students' legal action trigger a criminal investigation into this?

There are so many who get away with the fabricated facades when others slog away to do the right thing.

Re the criminal aspect, the police can ( and should) act of their own volition in cases like this that are so well publicised, or someone can make a complaint.

When Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone, he had 3 missed calls from Jason Arday.

I suspect the police might have acted of their own volition in arresting Andrew Mountbatten- Windsor, for example.