Toff Who Burned A £20 Note To Taunt A Homeless Man Apologises To His College – But Not To His Victim

A Cambridge University student who sparked fury for burning a £20 note in front of a homeless man will not be expelled, it has been revealed.

The university came under pressure to expel student Ronald Coyne after a video of him taunting the homeless man while dressed in a bow tie and coat-tails went viral. But he has kept his place at Pembroke College after writing a public apology saying he had been threatened with chemical attacks after he ‘forgot what it really meant to study at Cambridge’. He was promptly expelled from the Cambridge University Conservative Association after his disgraceful behaviour in the early hours of February 2 caused a national furore.

Rough sleeper Ryan Davies said he was taunted by Mr Coyne after he asked for spare change. Mr Davies said he “couldn’t believe his luck” when the student pulled out a £20 note. But then he was forced to watch as Mr Coyne “lit it, burnt it” and allegedly said: “How’s that for change, I’ve changed it into flames.”

But bosses at the historic university have repeatedly refused to confirm or deny if disciplinary action would be taken against the first-year student. Now Mr Coyne’s college has shared his letter of apology to its students in a bid to ‘generate support for Ronald as he prepares to return to College.’

In the letter he says: “My experience of Cambridge was of a place which is positive, accepting, and friendly. Yet on that evening, I forgot what it really meant to study at Cambridge. I misrepresented what it meant to be a student here. When the media commentary flared up, strangers sent piles of abusive mail to my family home threatening me with violence, and chemical attacks.I have addressed the root causes of my behaviour by attending awareness classes, relating to both alcohol and social inclusion.”

“Until now, there had been an ongoing disciplinary process on a university and college level which had meant I couldn’t respond publicly. Now that these processes have concluded, I am setting out to try to remedy some of the hurt caused by my actions. “My actions were wrong and without thought or consideration.”

“I abused my privilege as a student at such a great university, and behaved in a way which is totally contrary to the values of the university and of its students.”

His mother Sandra McLaughlin previously said she could not understand her son’s behaviour. She said: “I don’t recognise that behaviour in my son. I don’t really know why he’s done something so thoughtless and cruel. It’s completely out of character. He did two years of volunteering at Stockbridge shelter homeless shop in Edinburgh when he was still at school. It’s very surprising. We’re just a normal family. We’re not toffs, he’s not a toff.”

Now other homeless people on the streets of Cambridge have shared their thoughts on Ronald Coyne’s actions – and his apology. One rough sleeper, Jason Crow, 43, was a musician but has now been homeless for two years, said: “He [Ronald] has only apologised because he’s realised it’s against social convention and he’s embarrassed himself a little bit with his peers. He wants to redress that balance rather than the balance of being genuinely sorry about what he did to a homeless guy.”

“It’s probably more about saving a bit of face with his peers than anyone else. Maybe he should have been educated – he’s at college but he’s clearly not learning the right stuff. You need to learn about life as much about how to navigate through that life. You learn a lot about being human when you’re homeless.”

Asked about how others act towards him on the streets, Jason said: “People regularly make a point of walking past counting money, or they stop in front of you and rattle the money in their pocket as if to find a coin, but then they walk away. I just don’t understand it, we’re broken people. All I do is spend most of my life trying to educate people – if we were all a little bit more compassionate the world would be a better place. We have passion and humanity, that’s what makes us human.”