Ex-Medics rugby player who assaulted SU officer at Pop Tarts was punished by having to write a letter of apology

Former Sheffield SU Development Officer Meg McGrath has claimed the student who assaulted her in Pop Tarts in March has been punished by being made to write her a letter of apology.

In the new petition, Meg claims the student who assaulted her, a former Medics rugby player, was punished by way of writing a letter of apology, attending an alcohol awareness course, and a ban from two university bars. She also claims the university took three and half months to administer the punishment.

Meg started the petition, which currently has over 8,000 signatures, to call on universities to enforce stricter punishments and make discipline processes more victim-centred in order to protect the welfare of students.

The assault took place at a Pop Tarts event at The Foundry in March 2018, in which a drink was poured over Meg before she was headbutted in the face, breaking her nose and leaving her with tissue damage and scarring.

In the petition, Meg writes that the assault has left her nose crooked and hooked whilst she awaits further surgery, and that following the assault she had "to take three weeks off work" and suffered "an abundance of stress, anxiety and sleepless nights".

In a statement following the assault, Meg said, "Far, far too often I see female victims not taking crimes of sexual or physical assault further. I refuse to be intimidated by this display of toxic masculinity." Meg added she wouldn't let the student "evade punishment".

A spokesperson for the University of Sheffield said: "This distressing incident has been considered as a serious matter by the university. Following a police investigation, student disciplinary procedures were undertaken in line with Universities UK guidance.

"Whilst the university is not at liberty to disclose the outcome of confidential disciplinary proceedings, it does not in any way condone behaviour which imperils the safety and respect of members of our student community."

They also said: "Understanding the serious nature of this case, senior university staff have now met with Megan and the university is committed to learning lessons from this experience relating to communication with individuals affected by any serious acts of harassment or aggression, as well as in relation to our disciplinary process.

"The university will be reviewing our processes and sanctions to ensure that these are appropriate for all circumstances. The safety of students and staff is of primary concern."

The Medics Rugby society told The Tab Sheffield: "Our statement at the time of the incident still stands, so we won't be commenting further".