A STUDENT stabbing her boyfriend was a key moment in the run up to a pay dispute between a Dean and an Oxford college it has been claimed.

The Dean of Christ Church in Oxford, the Very Rev Prof Martyn Percy, was reinstated in August following a tribunal into allegations of ‘immoral, scandalous or disgraceful conduct’.

The dispute followed his request for a pay rise in August 2017, as he said he felt overworked and his £90,900 salary was out of step with what other college leaders earned, according to the Financial Times.

Read about Martyn Percy's reinstatement again here

The FT said the Dean’s frustration with his job could be traced back to December 2016, when undergraduate student Lavinia Woodward stabbed her then-boyfriend while under the influence of alcohol and drugs.

An article published in the FT yesterday said: “Percy’s supporters trace his frustrations to December 2016, when an undergraduate – under the influence of drugs and alcohol – stabbed her boyfriend in an argument.

“The dean was the only college official, other than the porters, available to help. He wanted new safeguarding processes; the job descriptions of college officials were, he felt, out of date.

Oxford Mail:

Martyn Percy, Dean of Christ Church college.

In response to a query from the FT for the article, Christ Church said: “It is the Dean’s job to deal with onsite emergencies out of hours whenever he is in residence, because he is the most senior officer on site.”

The Dean returned to work at the Oxford University college as of August 27, reinstated following a tribunal hearing thought to have cost about £500,000.

It is understood that the tribunal chaired by a former high court judge dismissed the complaints against him following a hearing behind closed doors in June.

In 2017, Christ Church undergraduate student Lavinia Woodward was given a suspended jail sentence after she admitted slashing her ex-boyfriend with a knife after taking drugs and alcohol.

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At the time her defence claimed she would be allowed back into Christ Church college because she is 'that bright'.

Woodward attacked her then boyfriend, who she met on dating app Tinder, after he tried to contact her mother over her erratic behaviour in December 2016.

She admitted unlawful wounding but was not sent to prison by judge Ian Pringle who said it was an 'exceptional case.'

The conviction meant Woodward could not fulfill her ambition to be a heart surgeon but she had intended to pursue a career in medical research.

In June this year, Christ Church college confirmed Ms Woodward would not be finishing her degree.

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According to the FT article, the Charity Commission, which regulates all of Oxford University’s colleges, recommends each college undertakes a regular review of governance.

The commission said the money spent on the Dean’s tribunal was ‘of a concern’.

The FT article added there is still a tense atmosphere for staff at the college following the tribunal.

The article said: “Mealtimes at Christ Church have become a tense affair, with academic and clerical staff closely watching who sits with whom for clues on where their loyalties lie.”