An Oxford professor has been accused of hacking into the private computer correspondence of a member of staff.
Dr. Cecile Deer, an academic specialising in the political economy of education, claims that her Balliol college e-mail account was unlawfully accessed by her ex-doctorate supervisor Professor Geoffrey Walford, after she accused him of sexual discrimination.
Deer made the accusations after Professor Walford, a fellow of Green Templeton College, refused to give her a reference for a job application. Deer claims that his decision was influenced by the fact that she had previously sued the University in 2008 for sexual discrimination.
Deer won an out of court settlement with the University last year after they excluded her from the women’s football team. She claimed that she was excluded because having three young children made her an “unreliable player”.
She has now sued Professor Walford and the Chancellors, Masters and Scholars of the University for sexual discrimination again at a hearing that is taking place in Reading, saying that Walford’s decision not to issue a reference must have been influenced by discussions in the faculty about the previous hearing.
Natasha Joffe, representing Dr. Deer, said that her client believed negative remarks must have been made about her in the department.
She also claims that, when a questionnaire was sent to Professor Walford regarding the sexual discrimination accusation, he hacked into her email account to help him answer the questions. She holds that one of Walford’s answers must have been aided by private information found in her correspondence, including exchanges between herself and another referee for the job application.
However, the University claim that Professor Walford asked for a list of Deer’s academic publications since she completed her doctorate and having seen the list decided she was not suitable for the job.
According to Jane McCafferty, a representative of Oxford University, he then explained to Dr. Deer that this was the reason he would not provide her a reference.
She added that Professor Walford knew little about the previous case, saying that when he was asked about it Walford replied, “I know virtually nothing other than it was something to do with football.”
McCafferty said at the hearing that there had been little contact between Dr. Deer and Professor Walford since 2000, when Walford ceased to be Deer’s doctorate supervisor.
McCafferty suggested that Deer’s allegations have “little chance of success”, adding that claims made were “most serious”.
Judge Louise Chudleigh has decided that Dr. Deer must pay a deposit of £100 if she is to proceed with both of her allegations.
She told Dr. Deer to “reflect on each aspect of the issues she is trying to establish”, adding, “I’m not saying she has no prospect of success, I’m saying she has little prospect of success.”
