Cambridge University student tried to burn £20 note in front of homeless man

A Cambridge University student – dressed in a white bow tie and black tails – has been filmed deliberately attempting to burn a £20 note in front of a homeless man.

Footage emerged on Snapchat of Ronald Coyne taking a lighter to the banknote.

The video was seen by hundreds of students after it appeared on the social networking site on 2 February.

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In the footage, the student struggles to light the note, while the film-maker pans to the homeless person.

The student says “some homeless shelter”, and the video then cuts out.

The homeless man, Ryan Davies, said he was disgusted by the incident in his first comments.

“There were some people going past and I was asking them for spare change. I’m homeless. I asked one man for spare change. I was polite about it as I always am,” said Davies.

“He says let’s see what I’ve got and pulls out a £20 note and went to pass it to me.

“I couldn’t believe my luck. But then he pulled it back and lit it and said ‘I’ll give you some change, I’ve changed it into fire.”

Speaking to student newspaper The Tab, a Cambridge resident who saw the student soon after the incident said: “I was blocked from getting into my college as some chap in white tie was being excluded by the porters.

“I saw the videos of what he did the next morning, and am utterly shocked and appalled that someone would do such a thing.

“I’m sure I speak on behalf of the student body when I say that we condemn such actions.”

Cambridge University Conservative Association said the student has been expelled from the association and described the behaviour as “abhorrent and repugnant”.

A spokesman said: “The CUCA committee became aware of serious allegations against Ronald Coyne late last week concerning his private behaviour.

“There is no room for people who behave like that in our Association, any other University Association, or frankly our University.”

It has also been alleged that Coyne is a “direct” relative of Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

But the Scottish Government has denied this claim.

“The individual is not a direct relative of the First Minister or her husband,” said a spokesman.

“It’s as simple as that.”

However he did concede they were distantly related.

In response to teh shocking video, more than 700 signatures have been collected for a petition demanding the 18-year-old be expelled.

Others have called for Coyne to work 200 hours in a homeless shelter.

One of those people who has signed the petition for him to be expelled, Anne Baynham from Newent, said: “He needs to learn that you can’t treat people this way and then just go about your privileged life with no consequences.”

Coyne’s mother, Sandra McLaughlin, 46, said she could not understand her son’s behaviour, and denied he was a toff.

“I don’t really know why he’s done something so thoughtless and cruel,” she said

“It’s completely out of character. He did two years of volunteering at Stockbridge shelter homeless shop in Edinburgh when he was still at school.

“It’s very surprising. We’re just a normal family. We’re not toffs, he’s not a toff.”

A Cambridge University spokesman said: “The University is committed to respecting the rights and dignity of all members of our community.

“We expect our students to treat others with respect, courtesy and consideration at all times, and the University takes allegations of unacceptable behaviour very seriously.

“We do not comment on individual cases.”

It has been rumoured that burning a £50 note in front of a homeless person is one of the initiation ceremonies of Oxford University’s notorious Bullingdon club.