Medical students raise alarm about three years of sexually harassing anonymous calls

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By Daniel Pye

The University of Manchester has launched an investigation after more than a dozen medical students complained of abusive calls from anonymous men.

The British Medical Association has written to the university to warn it was aware students had been subjected to verbal abuse, threats of stalking and intimidation, and sexual violence, with incidents dating back several years.

It followed a separate open letter published by final year student Charlotte Amelia Buttercase, which said the abuse targeted towards women at the medical school began in 2023.

Some 15 women have contributed to Butterworth’s report to the police of harassment.

The anonymous calls subjected women to scare tactics and sexual harassment, ranging from telling them they are being watched, to asking them to perform "sexual favours" or screaming gender-based slurs in the early hours of the morning, the open letter said.