Three students arrested for alleged rape at Royal Agricultural University summer ball
The three men have been suspended by the uni
Police are investigating the suspected rape of two female students and an alleged serious sex assault of a third at a prestigious agricultural university, it has been revealed.
Three male students have been arrested in connection with the alleged attacks which took place on the night of the summer ball to mark the end of exams.
It is reported the attacks took place at a private property close to the Royal Agricultural University, in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, after the group spent the night celebrating at the May Ball.
The three alleged victims were aged 19, 20 and 21 and the university confirmed three male students had now been suspended.
A police spokesperson said: “Three students from the Royal Agricultural University were arrested on Sunday May 25 in Cirencester in connection with an investigation into alleged sexual assaults.
The group are students from the Royal Agricultural University (pictured)
“They have been bailed respectively until July 29, 30 and 31 to return to a police station as part of the investigation.”
The internationally renowned university, which was known as the Royal Agricultural College until last year, is rated as the Oxbridge of agricultural studies.
The ball was hosted by the university’s student union, which describes the annual event on its website as “the biggest ball of the year and the main event in the social diary”.
Former students include political commentator Jonathan Dimbleby, Princess Anne’s ex-husband Captain Mark Phillips and the late champion horse trainer Sir Henry Cecil.
The university provides more than 30 land-based undergraduate and postgraduate degree courses for students from almost 50 countries worldwide and is, according to the Complete University Guide, often described as ‘the Oxbridge of the countryside’.
It was founded in 1845 and is ranked by the influential Complete University Guide as the fifth safest in the UK.
Since 2008, it has seen a 49 per cent rise in applications and is ranked top in the UK for investing in campus facilities.