A senior Royal Holloway lecturer of Film Studies, Barry Langford, was convicted of child sex offences, after the Metropolitan Police uncovered a plot to travel abroad to sexually abuse a child. It is understood that Mr Langford, who is no longer employed by the University, did not inform his employer of his arrest, charges, or guilty plea, and it is further understood that the University were only informed by the relevant authorities the week prior to sentencing.
Langford, 61, pleaded guilty to the offences at the Old Bailey in June, and was sentenced on Wednesday 30th September 2026. Judge Angela Rafferty KC sentenced Langford to 2 years imprisonment suspended for three years.
Langford pleaded guilty to one count of arranging the commission of a child sex offence, making an indecent image of a child, and possessing extreme pornography.
The Met Police published video footage of Mr Langford’s initial arrest, which took place in the early hours of 10th October 2023, and his police interview. During the arrest, detectives uncovered illegal images, and uncovered online messages with an accomplice, which appeared to arrange a child sex offence.
According to an archived version of the University website, Langford was the Head of the Media Arts Department. There is no suggestion that he ceased in that role due to this investigation, and the University recently restructured its academic Schools into Faculties, reducing the number of academic departments from 25 to 12.
According to the Mail, Langford’s defence team told the court that he had tendered his resignation on the 29th of June 2026, the same day he pleaded guilty.
We approached the Metropolitan Police for comment. The force declined to provide details of the sentence or a statement on the outcome of the case, citing a lack of capacity to respond to student or university outlets, except where it had already prepared a statement. However, Detective Constable Nikki Jones of the Metropolitan Police’s Child Abuse & Sexual Exploitation Unit, who led the investigation, told the Mail:
“I think it highlights that it can be anyone and that these individuals walk among us – this is a lecturer at a university.
“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 to others.
“It is also a very serious offence of sexually abusing children.
“From examining his devices the life he presented is the total opposite of this desire for extreme taboos he expressed and acted out on these particular platforms.”
A spokesperson for Royal Holloway, University of London, said:
“The University was not informed of the criminal proceedings by either the relevant authorities or the individual concerned. The conduct in question is utterly abhorrent and has no place whatsoever within this University. We can confirm that this individual is no longer employed by the University.
“We recognise that this news may be distressing to many of our students and colleagues and have support in place. Our focus remains on supporting our community and we will not be commenting further at this time.”
It is understood that the University is seeking to understand the circumstances around the flow of information, given the University’s safeguarding responsibilities, and that authorities have confirmed that none of the victims identified within the investigation have any connection or affiliation to the University.