Met Police boss admits mistake over Jason Arday plagiarism row
Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley admitted the force made a mistake by investigating a journalist who was inquiring into plagiarism allegations against a Cambridge professor. The police have since closed the inquiry, acknowledging the complaint should have been screened out.
Why it matters
The case raises concerns regarding press freedom and the appropriate use of police resources in handling harassment complaints against journalists.
Share Save Add as preferred on Google André Rhoden-Paul Watch: Why has Cambridge's youngest black professor resigned? The head of the Metropolitan Police has said his force should not have investigated a journalist who was looking into plagiarism claims about a University of Cambridge professor.
Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said officers "dropped the ball" when they looked into a complaint made against journalist Jack Grove over his attempts to contact Prof Jason Arday.
Sir Mark told broadcaster LBC the complaint should have been "screened out earlier on as not requiring investigation".
Arday, who resigned from Cambridge on Wednesday, has has admitted errors in his work, but denied plagiarism.
Times Higher Education (THE) reporter Grove said he had been investigating allegations Arday had plagiarised parts of his PhD, and contacted him in 2025 to offer him the right of reply.
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