Students win sexual assault case against college (original) (raw)

The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama must pay £19,000 in damages to two former students who accused staff of failing to properly investigate their allegations of sexual assault.

Alyse McCamish and Sydney Feder sued the college for negligence and waived their right to anonymity. The students, who are both 26 and from the USA, alleged they were sexually assaulted by the same fellow student. Ms McCamish claimed she was subjected to four separate sexual assaults by the man in September 2016 including once when she was intoxicated. The man allegedly physically threatened her and told her not to report the assaults.

Ms Feder alleged the same man sexually assaulted her in November 2017. She said she was alone in a female changing room when she was attacked and that the man had "made sure I was alone" at the time.

In the first case of its kind, the Central London County Court judge, Recorder John Halford, ruled that universities owe a duty of care to students who make disclosures of sexual assault. He awarded damages of £14,000 to Ms McCamish and £5,000 to Ms Feder after finding the college did not properly investigate or respond to their allegations. The college will also have to pay court costs which are yet to be confirmed.

Former student Alyse McCamish

Alyse McCamish (Image: Alyse McCamish)

Ms McCamish said: “When I first reported that I had been repeatedly sexually assaulted by a student who was violent and coercive and had carried out the first attack when I was incapacitated, the immediate response from [the college] was 'it sounds like a relationship gone wrong'. I wasn’t believed then and right up until the trial [the college] said that they would put me to proof and that they would cross examine me about those assaults."

And Ms Feder said: “It is nearly six years since I reported that I had been sexually assaulted by a student at [the college]. Now that we have this judgment, for the first time I feel that somebody has heard what I have to say and agreed that what happened to me since then was wrong."

Former student Sydney Feder

Sydney Feder (Image: Sydney Feder)

Ms McCamish accused the college of "victim blaming and downright shameless lies". And one of the students' solicitors, John Watkins, said: “This is a shocking case, not only in terms of what happened to my clients when they reported that they had been sexually assaulted but that [the college] sought to justify what they had done... They fought this case all the way to a fiercely contested trial. The judgment is a damning reflection of their wrongdoing."

A spokeswoman for the college said it had introduced steps to protect students including a "confidential feedback system". She added: "Nothing is more important to us than keeping our students safe. We are sorry that the women involved in this case were hurt by aspects of the way the college responded to their complaints. Since 2017, we’ve transformed how we respond to sensitive disclosures, how we deal with complaints or concerns and how we support and safeguard our students. Universities and the theatre / film industries have made real changes in recent years in relation to many of the issues raised in this case. This includes how challenging aspects of an actor’s training – such as physical contact and intimacy – are taught."

The spokeswoman continued: "Following a major review and revalidation, our undergraduate actor training course, with new leadership, has just received 100% satisfaction rating in the National Student Survey. We will never stop listening to and working with our staff and students and learning from others. We are focused on making sure our college is one where students learn and thrive, while being challenged professionally in a safe and supportive environment."

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