London: James Tooley, the vice-chancellor of the University of _{Buckingham in the United Kingdom, was suspended over allegations of an affair with a woman from Hyderabad. Notably, Tooley helped the woman with her university fees, reported The Times.}

The allegations erupted against Tooley after his wife Cynthia, now estranged, reportedly handed over copies of diaries. These diaries were believed to be written by the woman and handed over to Tooley.

Tooley was suspended in October. However, the entire matter surfaced now. He became the vice-chancellor in 2020. The woman told the media outlet that she was 18 when she met Tooley and first involved in a sexual relationship with him three years later.

On October 11, Cynthia alerted the university management about Tooley’s alleged affair. As per the report, Tooley’s wife made several allegations against him, including reporting “a suspicious object” at his official residence in Buckingham. Police took a junior air rifle from Tooley’s house. However, no further investigation was launched. Cynthia married Tooley in 2022. She is of Nigerian origin and was awarded the MBE in 2017.

Tooley dismissed all the allegations as “baseless”. Senior counsel, Joseph O’Brien KC, is investigating all the allegations and is likely to submit the report before Christmas.