Cambridge don leaves college after new investigation into harassment claims

A Cambridge don has agreed to permanent exclusion from his college following allegations that he breached sanctions placed on him two years ago after an internal investigation into complaints that he had sexually harassed undergraduates.

Peter Hutchinson, a non-stipendiary fellow at Trinity Hall, was banned in September 2015 from teaching undergraduates and attending social events where they were present.

Trinity Hall, whose alumni include Stephen Hawking and the Oscar-winning actor Rachel Weisz, launched an investigation earlier this month into whether he breached these conditions by attending the Milestone lecture at the college in November when undergraduates were present.

The investigation came two years after a formal complaint of sexual harassment against Hutchinson, then a modern languages teacher at Trinity Hall.

In August 2015, 10 students detailed separate incidents of “inappropriate, sexual and sexist comments” Hutchinson had allegedly made in 2014 and 2015 in seminars, supervisions, other teaching sessions and social events at the college.

Following a formal investigation, the college’s senior tutor, Clare Jackson, wrote to the complainants in September 2015, informing them that Hutchinson apologised for “any distress students may have experienced during the instances cited” and “accepted … that some of the words and actions cited in your complaint were … inappropriate and could legitimately be construed as harassment”.

She added that, as a result, Hutchinson had “agreed to withdraw permanently from supervising Trinity Hall undergraduates and from attending social events, such as informal drinks parties and formal dinners at which Trinity Hall undergraduates will be present”.

It was understood that if Hutchinson, an emeritus fellow, attended a lecture at Trinity Hall where undergraduates were present this would be a breach of the restrictions he agreed to in 2015 and he would be subject to further investigation.

A Trinity Hall spokesperson said: “We can confirm Dr Hutchinson has withdrawn permanently from any further involvement with college affairs, including from his role on the finance committee. He will not be present in college at any time in the future.”

One of the complainants expressed their relief at the outcome. The student, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “He won’t be present in college ever again. I feel relieved that there’s no risk of me bumping into him again, and I feel that my concerns have been validated and been taken seriously finally, as they should have been. This is what they should have done at the time but it’s better late than never, and I’m happy that it’s happened.”

Another of the complainants added: “I hope that the college in future would stick more faithfully to its supposed ‘zero-tolerance’ approach and such stronger action would be taken without delay.”

The Guardian revealed the new investigation into Hutchinson after Cambridge University issued a statement about the 2015 case last week, without informing the complainants.

In the statement, Hutchinson said “the students who had made the complaint … expressed their satisfaction with the action taken”. He added: “I would like to take this opportunity to publicly apologise to those students. I also want to apologise to anyone who has ever been on the receiving end of an unwanted comment by me that they felt crossed the line in any way.”

The college, contradicting the information provided to the complainants, described the 2015 investigation into Hutchinson’s conduct as “informal”. It added: “Trinity Hall remains dedicated to maintaining a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment that allows our students to flourish.”

Hutchinson’s exclusion comes two months after Cambridge University launched its Breaking the Silence campaign.

Students can seek help or report harassment via a new website that also gives advice on how staff and students are expected to behave in the context of a zero-tolerance approach to sexual misconduct.

Other measures include staff training on how to handle student disclosures of sexual assault and the appointment of a full-time sexual harassment and assault adviser at the university counselling service.