Met Police boss admits mistake over Cambridge professor plagiarism row
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley admitted his force made a mistake by investigating a journalist who was probing plagiarism allegations against a Cambridge professor. The police had previously warned the journalist to stop contacting the academic, a move Rowley now concedes was an error that should have been screened out.
Why it matters
This highlights concerns regarding police overreach and the protection of press freedom when dealing with harassment complaints against journalists.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has admitted his force "dropped the ball" when it spent four months investigating a journalist examining claims about a University of Cambridge professor embroiled in a plagiarism row.
Journalist Jack Grove said he was told by the Met it had looked into a complaint made by Jason Arday, which it closed, and that Grove should not contact Arday again.
When asked by broadcaster LBC if he should apologise to Grove, Sir Mark agreed and said the complaint should have been "screened out earlier on as not requiring investigation".
Arday, who resigned from Cambridge on Wednesday, has admitted errors in his work and said he has faced "unrelenting" attack.
Serious questions for Cambridge after professor at centre of plagiarism row resigns
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