A classics professor has “stepped away” from teaching after a university investigation upheld allegations of sexual and professional misconduct against him.

According to The Times, Simon Goldhill, 69, admitted to kissing a female student, who is in her twenties, in an “over exuberant” and “no doubt slobbery” way.

The investigation found: “At no time in his evidence did he provide any direct evidence that he had asked for and received consent. His stated belief was that he did not need it for a goodbye kiss or ‘friendly snuggle’.”

The report also stated that the professor stroked the student’s body, touched the zip on her trousers, and put his tongue in her ear. The investigators noted that the latter “could have been unintentional”.

Goldhill, an expert in Greek literature and culture at King’s, is set to retire at the end of the academic year. However, he could still be made an emeritus professor.

The University is currently considering what disciplinary action, if any, to take against the professor. The student was informed that Goldhill was on “amended duties,” but received no further details about the University’s unclear processes.

The incident occurred in autumn 2024, but the student did not make a complaint until March 2025, as she was worried about damaging her academic and career prospects. Another professor told the inquiry that Goldhill is “an exceptionally big fish” among classicists with considerable “clout” in the faculty.

The events took place in the senior common room at King’s, which is reserved for fellows. The student said she had to push his hands away, and that she made it clear she did not want to be kissed. She added that Goldhill’s behaviour made her feel “scared and panicky”.

The professor had been drinking that night, and later sent an apologetic but “not entirely lucid” text to the student.

The report notes that Goldhill “offered as mitigation his drunken state on the night of the incident. However, he also recognised that this does not reduce the responsibility he has for his own actions […] Alcohol may well have contributed to what happened but cannot excuse it”.

The University commissioned an external consultancy to conduct the investigation, which produced its report in February. Goldhill was able to continue teaching for several months after the investigation began, only giving up his duties in October.

The report states that Goldhill broke several university policies, including its code of behaviour, “by making unwelcome and unpermitted sexual advances in the form of an embrace, touching and kisses without reasonably believing that [the student] had consented to this behaviour”.

The student told The Times: “In the immediate aftermath of the incident I was in shock, and felt completely empty. I could feel that this was something that would affect me for a long time.

“The longer-term effects and the university’s poor response have had the greatest impact on me. My studies have been significantly disrupted, and this has impacted me financially. Receiving the complaint outcome letter from the university, which essentially said ‘your complaint has been upheld, we will not tell you any consequences we may hand out, goodbye’, it felt like a punch in the gut after a harrowing, year-long process. It makes me feel like the university does not take the safety of their students, especially women, seriously.”

She also told Varsity that the University has not offered her financial compensation for the time she was unable to to study, meaning that she has had to request a formal review.

The Cambridge student group End Sexual Violence (ENDSV) said they were “concerned about the level of action taken by the University, particularly in relation to supporting students, ensuring safeguarding and maintaining confidence in its processes”.

The group continued: “While we recognise and greatly appreciate the role of OSCCA in providing advice, support and oversight in cases of sexual misconduct, this situation raises serious concerns about whether current procedures are adequate when it comes to supporting students who come forward and ensuring the wider student body is effectively safeguarded. We are especially concerned by reports that teaching duties may have continued during this process.”

ENDSV added: “Too often the investigation of sexual assault cases is slow and re-traumatising for those involved, but we hope that our university can become an exception: working with its students to actively listen and understand from their experiences. We would welcome this opportunity to engage constructively with the University to discuss how processes can be improved and how we can move forward together.”

Dr Anna Bull of the 1752 group, a national campaigning organisation, said the continuation of teaching duties raised “urgent questions not only for Cambridge but also for the Office for Students (OfS)”.

She continued: “Following on from recent coverage of harassment by academic staff at Oxford University, it also suggests that the higher education sector as a whole is failing to implement new regulations on harassment and sexual misconduct from the OfS, which have been in force since August last year. Why is no enforcement action being taken by any of the regulators, the OfS or the Equality and Human Rights Commission [EHRC], in light of the flagrant disregard from these universities that is evident in media reporting?”

A spokesperson for the University said: “The University of Cambridge takes all complaints of sexual misconduct very seriously and any concerns raised by staff or students would be looked into in line with the relevant university policies and procedures, and action would be taken, where appropriate. These processes are by their nature confidential so we will not be commenting further.”

An OfS spokesperson said they introduced the new regulations because they “know this is an issue that students care about deeply […] We’re continuing to monitor how universities and colleges are responding to these requirements. Where we receive intelligence that an institution is at risk of non-compliance, we may decide to intervene.”

The EHRC said they have produced “detailed guidance for universities which explains their responsibilities under the Equality Act” and “provided evidence to the Office for Students on regulating sexual misconduct, recommending it should have greater powers to impose sanctions on universities that don’t take sufficient steps to tackle harassment”.

Goldhill did not respond to requests for comment, but the report says that he told a colleague he was “mortified and upset by what had happened”.