Oxford provost sent poison pen letters steps down

THE provost of an Oxford college who was the victim of a “poison pen” campaign attacking him and his wife has announced he is stepping down.

Sir Jonathan Bate wrote to Worcester College alumni this week to explain that his role as provost has “taken a toll” on his family life and he wants to pursue his academic interests.

His eight-year tenure as provost was dogged by a protracted campaign of harassment against him and his wife Paula Byrne, the bestselling author. The series of spiteful anonymous letters prompted Sir Jonathan, who is a professor in English literature and Shakespeare specialist, to report the issue to the police.

Announcing his departure, Sir Jonathan explained he will step down in September but will maintain ties to the college as a senior research fellow. He said that his priority for the next decade is to return to his scholarly work, adding that the role of provost has “greatly slowed my academic productivity and diminished my opportunities to teach”.

He went on to say that it had “proved to be a demanding job for both me and my family”. He added: “I feel that it is now time for me to take a back seat, and give her [Paula] support, as she takes forward her important work for mental health and well-being, especially among young people, through her Relit Foundation.”

Thames Valley Police said that the issue had been reported to officers, “but the victim has decided to proceed with the matter via the civil process”.

Sir Jonathan, who was knighted in 2015 for services to literary scholarship and higher education, told The Daily Telegraph that there was “no connection” between his decision to step down as provost and the letter campaign.