Jason Arday , the former Cambridge University scholar whose meteoric rise was followed by a swift fall in recent weeks, has died at the age of 41, his family confirmed on Friday.
However, local butchers and the Metropolitan Police did not confirm parts of his account. He was pronounced dead at the scene, though police did not confirm his identity.
Arday also said he had faced years of racist abuse and threats, including receiving a bullet in the post and a severed pig’s head at his family home. The police said the details Arday gave were “categorically” incorrect and that no investigation had taken place. The death was being “treated as unexpected” but was not believed to be suspicious, police said.
London’s Metropolitan Police said an ambulance was called on Friday afternoon to a South London residence connected to Arday after a man was found unresponsive, according to NYT.
Arday’s family said in a statement, “Jason was subjected to a campaign of sustained abuse” since he joined Cambridge, adding, “The campaign of misinformation was too much for Jason, who was a gentle man and who always wanted to see the best in everyone. They also said, “We are in shock to have lost this amazing father, partner, brother, uncle and son.”
Cambridge University initially defended Arday and called the plagiarism allegations a “vile smear campaign.
However, the university later said it would conduct an independent investigation into his hiring.
