Professor Jason Arday, appointed to the University of Cambridge at 37 and now its youngest ever black professor, has alleged that a pig's head was sent to his parents' London home during a dispute over plagiarism claims against him. Arday, 41, says he was later cleared of the allegations, but the affair has become a flashpoint, with critics claiming the matter was covered up while his supporters argue he has been unfairly targeted because of his race. The Metropolitan Police have disputed his account of the pig's head incident.

Arday's career has been widely publicised, including his rapid rise in academia, and the plagiarism row has drawn significant attention given his profile as a prominent black academic. The clash between his version of events and the police's denial leaves key facts of the incident unresolved and disputed.