Jason Arday is dead at 41 after weeks of brutal, relentless public scrutiny and years of abuse. In the days leading up to his death, 249 articles were written about Arday. These reached way beyond what could be reasonably considered in the public interest. Whatever anyone thinks about the allegations against him, there now has to be a serious, independent examination of how this was handled, by institutions and by the media. Accountability cannot mean turning a human being into public sport. I have signed a letter to the Independent Press Standards Organisation, calling for an investigation into the accusations against Professor Arday in the period leading up to his death, and to establish whether the media response was proportionate to the accusations levelled against him.