A university professor convicted of planning to sexually abuse an eight-year-old girl continued teaching at Royal Holloway University of London while colleagues remained unaware of his arrest and criminal proceedings.
Barry Langford, 61, was found guilty after exchanging messages with a woman and an undercover police officer whom he believed was offering access to a child. The pair discussed the proposed abuse through Telegram and WhatsApp in May and June 2023.
Langford was arrested at his home in Richmond, west London, in October 2023 but did not inform the university. He remained in post while the case progressed, and his profile and contact details were still listed on the institution’s website as the autumn term began.
Some colleagues only became aware of the case after Langford’s conviction. His profile has since been removed from the university’s website.
Langford had admitted one count each of arranging the commission of a child sex offence, making an indecent image of a child and possessing extreme pornography after being charged in November 2024.
At the Old Bailey, the court heard that he used the name “London Pervert” on a fetish website and discussed sexual fantasies involving a child. Police said there was “clear intent” for Langford and the woman to meet and abuse the girl, although he eventually abandoned the plan after expressing concern about going to prison.
The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was given a community order for her lesser role in the offending.
Langford was sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for three years, and made subject to a ten-year sexual harm prevention order. Judge Angela Rafferty KC told him: “The substantial adverse consequences to your life, finances, your personal relationships and health are your own responsibility.”
His barrister, Peter Clark, said Langford had serious heart problems and that his relationship with his son had been damaged by the case. He added that Langford had engaged with Sex Addicts Anonymous to address his behaviour.
Royal Holloway response
A Royal Holloway spokesman said the university had not been informed of the criminal proceedings by the authorities or Langford himself.
“The conduct in question is utterly abhorrent and has no place whatsoever within this university,” the spokesman said.
The university said Langford was no longer employed and that support was available to students and colleagues who had been distressed by the revelations.
Langford had been professor of film studies and had previously appeared on university social media, including posts congratulating students and welcoming new arrivals. His academic work was also referred to in university posts after his arrest.
Detective Constable Nikki Jones, of the Metropolitan Police’s Child Abuse and Sex Exploitation Unit, said the case showed that offenders could appear to lead ordinary professional lives while concealing their behaviour.
“It’s like a double life, that dark secret obsession of the extremes that they can’t disclose to anyone because it doesn’t fit in with the life they present,” she said.
DC Jones said the investigation had involved gathering evidence from Langford’s devices. The Metropolitan Police said the need to collect as much evidence as possible, combined with the court backlog, meant he waited three years to appear in court.
