This story covers topics that may be distressing to some, including sexual harassment, violence and assault.
Students at King’s College London have told Roar that the university’s sexual harassment reporting processes and responses are “inherently flawed”, sharing experiences in King’s halls, bars and campuses.
Various students have described to Roar experiences of sexual harassment ranging from unwated “one-off” and “passing” comments to allegations of sexual assault and unwated sexual touching.
In one instance, a student claimed that two of their flatmates were “inappropiately touched and approached” by another flatmate in their halls of residence, despite multiple “direct and explicit” interventions asking him to stop.
Despite being asked not to, the student alleged, the flatmate continued to talk to others and hand them personal “sensitive mail” from the flat mailbox. The same student said that they had discovered that the flatmate has made multiple women feel uncomfortable.
“Sexual misconduct has no place at King’s”, their Specialist Domestic & Sexual Violence Adviser told Roar, “We know that experiencing it, or deciding whether to report it, can be deeply difficult, and our priority is to ensure that students can access the support they need.”
The student making such advances is alleged to be in a position caring for vulnerable people, which their flatmate said “makes everything all the more concerning”.
Alongside dozens of universities in London and across the country, King’s operates a “Report + Support” system that allows students and staff to report “concerning behaviour” that have seen or experienced on or off campus.
Students can choose to make their report anonymously, but this will mean it is handled by a different team at King’s and may mean that students cannot pursue their complaint further after it is triaged.
Roar understands that the above incidents were not reported on Report + Support or to those in the King’s College London Students’ Union (KCLSU). One student told Roar:
“The KCL reporting system is inherently flawed . . . It makes it worse when the victims are in the same flat as the accused, making them extremely vulnerable.”
Various students have detailed “one off” and “passing” experiences of verbal assaults, specifically at the university’s student bars. In 2022 numerous reports of drink spiking at such bars caused King’s and KCLSU to jointly issue guidance on how to minimise such risks.
Research by campaign group Revolt Sexual Assault suggests that, within UK universities, the most common locations that students experienced sexual harassment included halls, social events and “social spaces” such as bars and shops.
According to data seen by Roar, just nine sexual harassment or assault reports were made in the 2025/26 academic year; only four proceeded to a non-academic misconduct investigation.
In November 2025 King’s appointed a new Specialist Domestic and Sexual Violence Adviser, Kate Rhodes, to “to support students who have experienced or witnessed domestic and sexual violence at any point in their lives”.
She told Roar: “The creation of my role demonstrates King’s commitment both to tackling sexual misconduct and to supporting students affected by it. Anyone who raises a concern through our welfare services or Report + Support can access specialist support from me and our expanded Welfare team….
“Sexual misconduct is a societal issue, but we have a responsibility to address how it manifests within our university community. We are always open to ideas from students and colleagues about how we can strengthen our approach to prevention, support and response.”
Have you witnessed or experienced sexual harassment or assault at King’s and want to tell us about it? Tell us, anonymously or otherwise, at roarnews.co.uk/tips.
Open letter
In 2025, GKT British Medical Association, GKT Ladies Hockey and KCL Women in Surgery jointly published an open letter to King’s, GKT School of Medical Education and KCLSU, alleging “complicity in sexual violence against women and girls”.
In the letter, they said that misogyny at GKT, King’s medical school, “has become endemic” and that students felt “too intimidated to report that they’ve been assaulted”.
Testimonies featured within the letter detail a range of alleged incidents experienced by female students, including groping within Guy’s Bar, online abuse and misogyny during clinical placements.
At the time, Professor Nicki Cohen, GKT’s dean, said that she was “very concerned by the student testimonials of the distressing experiences and commentary within this letter” and that “no one should have to face any form of harassment or inappropriate behaviour while studying or training”; KCLSU said that it was investigating the concerns.
In May, the Office for Students reported that 40.3 per cent of students studying medicine or dentistry subjects nationally reported that they had experienced sexual harassment, as compared to 24.5 per cent on average.
On average, students at “high-tariff” universities, including King’s, reported significantly more experiences (17.3 percentage points higher) of sexual harassment than low-tariff institutions, with some 35 per cent of students reporting such behaviour.
Last year former KCLSU officers Dulcie Wainwright-Pilton and Fatima Hire launched a “Fix Report + Support” campaign, calling for changes to the system.
They asked for a review of the scheme between KCLSU, King’s and students with lived experience of gender-based violence. Roar understands that the review was completed this year.
They also asked King’s to provide and promote resources for under-represented student communities, such as LGBTQ+ and postgraduate students.
Unlike comparable universities, such as UCL, King’s does not publicly publish the summary reports it generates from Report + Support data, instead only distributing them internally; the officers also pushed for a change in this policy.
“We have listened to students’ concerns about Report + Support and are using their feedback to improve it, with an updated version due to launch next term”, Rhodes told Roar, “We will also continue to work closely with KCLSU colleagues on the safety of students at their venues and events.”
A King’s spokesperson added: “Students and staff can disclose an experience and access support through Report + Support. Concerns or complaints specifically relating to KCLSU venues or events should be directed to KCLSU.”
Students and staff can access support regarding any of the issues raised in this article through: Report + Support or organisations like Safe Line.
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