Expelled Student Sues University for £98,000 Over Cyberbullying Incident

In November 2025, a former student at Richmond American University London, Sarah Mbabazi, is suing the university for £98,000 in damages following her expulsion in 2024. Mbabazi was expelled after the university received a complaint about posts on the social media platform X that were allegedly written by her, which contained hate speech about the Israel-Gaza conflict.

Mbabazi argued that she had been impersonated, but the university initially determined there was insufficient evidence to prove this. She then raised a complaint with the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA), which upheld her case, stating the university had not properly explained its reason for the expulsion and had not examined the digital files she had presented as proof the account was not hers.

The university subsequently appointed a new panel to review Mbabazi's expulsion, which decided there was no evidence to prove she was the author of the tweets. Mbabazi has since been granted the opportunity to re-enroll at the university and receive damages, but she believes the compensation is not enough to cover the financial loss and potential impact on her career progress due to the expulsion.

As a result, Mbabazi has filed a civil claim in the county court, seeking a full apology from the university, which she says she has not received. She states that during the 18 months she was expelled, she had to deal with social stigma, loss of funding, and worsening mental health issues, including depression and anxiety.