In a deeply disturbing incident, an 18-year-old Indian student Udkarsh Yadav committed a shocking act inside the private room of a female student at Northumbria University, Newcastle.
Originally from India and pursuing a degree in civil engineering, Yadav used a faulty gym-issued key card to unlawfully enter a fellow student’s room at Trinity Square student accommodation in Gateshead while she was away for the holidays.
According to details revealed in Newcastle Crown Court, Yadav broke into the first-year female student's room and committed a sexual act, ejaculating on her bedsheets and soft toys, including three Jellycat teddy bears. The crime came to light after the victim returned and discovered her belongings had been defiled.
DNA evidence left behind led to Yadav's arrest. While he initially remained silent during police interrogation, he later admitted to the crime when confronted with DNA results. The court was told that Yadav had been "overcome with desire" and knew about a system glitch in the gym-issued key card that allowed him to enter rooms without permission.
Recorder Mark McKone KC, who presided over the case, strongly condemned the act:
“This was a disgusting and selfish thing to do. You must have known the psychological impact this would have on her. She was a young woman living away from home for the first time, and the idea of someone invading her room in this way, especially while looking at photos of her on the wall, is deeply disturbing.”
Yadav pleaded guilty to burglary with intent to cause criminal damage. While the court acknowledged the severity of the act, he was sentenced to 14 months in prison, suspended for two years. He was also ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work, attend rehabilitation sessions, and pay £117 in compensation for the damage caused to the teddy bears and bed coverings.
His lawyer, Shada Mellor, told the court that Yadav had moved to the UK to follow in his father’s footsteps in the construction field and was pursuing a civil engineering degree. She described the incident as “completely out of character” and noted that he had completed his first academic year with plans for a master's degree.
Following the incident, Yadav was evicted from university housing, and his academic future at Northumbria University remains uncertain. University authorities are expected to review his enrollment status in light of the conviction. If his student visa is revoked, he could be deported from the UK.
The case has sparked outrage among both students and the wider public, with many questioning the leniency of the sentence and the impact such actions have on female students living alone abroad.
