Durham University has withdrawn a student’s place after an investigation into comments on a group chat were leaked, where male freshers wrote about holding a competition to have sex with the poorest student they could find. Other comments discussed drugs and concerns about being accused of rape.
Female students starting at Durham University this year were ‘terrified of being spiked and raped’ after the chats in the ‘Overheard at Durham Uni’ Facebook group came to light.
Lydia Hope Gibson posted the messages in the Facebook group, warning women of the conversations being had online about Fresher’s week. Sent to her by a member of the group, the anonymous person told her the ‘lads chat’ was ‘very very very disgusting sounding’ and included plans to ‘get girls drunk in the most cost-effective manner.’
‘I’m sure you were all gonna be careful already but just a reminder to keep an eye on your drinks and be extra cautious,’ they said. The screenshots of messages shared online also expose a competition of ‘posh lads competing on fucking the poorest girl’ and more general sexist language around casual sex with women. One message also includes racist references to George Floyd’s death, with one member saying he ‘had it coming either way’.
‘Girls who haven’t even started uni yet have said that they are now terrified of being spiked and raped,’ Gibson said on Facebook after posting the screenshots. ‘This is just awful behaviour and as a mother it scares me to death that boys who are only 18 are capable of being so disgusting towards women. It’s well known that Durham has a bad rate of sexual assault let’s make sure we’re all tackling that and call those out when needed.’
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After the university’s investigation, which involved a lawyer and a former police officer, one student’s place was withdrawn. The university was not able to confirm what the student had posted, saying only that their “behaviour [fell] short of the values we uphold, as reflected in our regulations”.
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