Former UCL academic to pay damages after harassing colleague for months

A former academic at University College London must pay almost £50,000 in damages to a former colleague after falsely portraying her as a sex worker on social media as part of a months-long campaign of harassment.

Christopher Backhouse, a former research fellow at the department of physics and astronomy at UCL, has settled to pay £49,975 to Erica Smith, a physicist and a postdoctoral fellow at Indiana University in the US.

A statement made at the high court on Tuesday said: “Dr Smith’s home address, email address and phone number were used to sign her up to various unwanted services and groups, including far-right hate groups, fetish websites and to arrange for unwanted goods and services to be supplied, including the delivery of adult diapers and babyproofing services.”

Smith, also received numerous unsolicited sex requests after a number of Twitter accounts were set up in her name between 9 November 2020 and 25 May 2021, the court heard. The tweets would display her phone number and solicit sex, accompanied by false pornographic images purporting to be her.

Describing the acts as a “gross intrusion” into her private life, her solicitor Adham Harker said the accounts “falsely portrayed Dr Smith as a nymphomaniac, exhibitionist and sex worker”.

As a result, members of the public contacted Smith directly, the court heard. The Twitter accounts also followed colleagues of Smith, who later brought the accounts to her attention. During this period she also received death threats and an attempt to deceive police into sending an armed response team to her address.

Backhouse was revealed as the perpetrator after Smith enlisted a US lawyer to subpoena Twitter and Google. Documents from the tech giants identified an IP address in London, despite great lengths by the perpetrator to cover their tracks using global proxy servers, the court heard.

Using a Norwich Pharmacal Order (NPO) against BT, a disclosure order allowing information to be obtained from third parties, Backhouse was revealed as the customer connected with the London IP address.

Smith, who worked on an international research project with Backhouse at Fermilab, a collaborative research lab in the US, had previously reported Backhouse alleging sexual assault, according to the statement. However, no finding of fact was made against him.

“This was done to humiliate and besmirch her,” said Harker. “These egregious breaches of privacy and harassment had a profound effect on Dr Smith. She has suffered significant distress which has affected all aspects of her personal and professional life.”

He added Smith “was unable to trust anyone and lived in fear of what might happen next”, and the harassment led to her withdrawal at work, from social media and in social settings – including her work supporting women facing harassment in academia.

After Smith first issued proceedings in December 2021, the matter was settled this August as Backhouse agreed to pay £49,975 in damages, in addition to Smith’s legal fees. Backhouse was also restrained from further misusing her information or harassing her.

“To this date, Dr Backhouse has not apologised for his conduct and both interim costs orders remain unsatisfied,” said her solicitor.

Speaking to the Guardian after the statement was read out on Tuesday, Smith, now 34, said she has been “stressed and afraid” . She bought a portable lock for her front door and a baseball bat for protection in case her address was posted somewhere “unsavoury”.

During the period, Smith had trouble sleeping and concentrating, and called police multiple times after receiving threatening messages.

“I have been applying for faculty positions and wondered if people on hiring committees would see these fake Twitter accounts and pass on my application,” she said.

“I feel relieved now that the matter has been settled. I just want to put all of this behind me and move on with my life.”

A UCL spokesperson said Backhouse was no longer employed by the university.