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Inquest opens into death of former Cambridge professor Jason Arday

A London coroner's court has opened an investigation into the death of 41-year-old Jason Arday, who recently resigned following plagiarism allegations.

The short version

  • London Inner South Coroner's Court opened an inquest after senior coroner Dr. Julian Morris noted reports suggesting Jason Arday died an unnatural death.
  • Arday was found unresponsive at his home in London in mid-August, days after resigning from his sociology post at Cambridge University.
  • Police previously characterized the death as unexpected but not suspicious, while Arday's family cited a toll from public scrutiny and accusations.
  • A formal investigation will proceed as Arday's publisher releases his memoir in the UK as planned.

Key facts

  • Senior coroner Dr. Julian Morris opened an official investigation into the death of Jason Arday at London Inner South Coroner's Court, citing reason to suspect an unnatural death.[BBC News · Associated Press]
  • Arday was found unresponsive by family at his London home in mid-August and could not be revived.[BBC News · Associated Press]
  • The Metropolitan Police initially treated Arday's death as unexpected and stated it was not believed to be suspicious.[BBC News · Associated Press]
  • Arday resigned from Cambridge University on August 5 after facing plagiarism allegations and media reports questioning his doctoral thesis and biographical claims.[BBC News · Associated Press]
  • Arday denied intentional plagiarism, attributing errors in his academic work partly to his autism, while acknowledging mistakes in his doctorate.[BBC News · Associated Press]
  • Publisher Simon & Schuster announced it will release Arday's memoir in the UK as planned, adhering to his family's wishes.[BBC News · Associated Press]

What remains uncertain

  • The exact medical cause of death remains pending the outcome of the coroner's investigation.[BBC News · Associated Press]

Sources