Medical Council urged to take 'appropriate' action amid 'violent image' UCD backlash

Students protesting on the University College Dublin campus calling for systemic change in how UCD responds to sexual violence and gender-based harm. Picture: Sam Boal/Collins Photos

The Medical Council has been urged by University College Dublin's dean of medicine to take "whatever action it deems appropriate" over an open letter from doctors complaining about the university's failure to act on the sharing of a "violent image" of a student. 

Last April, someone circulated images of Maeve's (not her real name) “naked, bruised, and unconscious” body to 171 university staff emails through an unidentified Proton Mail account.

In November 2025, someone again circulated the same photo of Maeve in her year group’s School of Medicine WhatsApp chat, which has at least 300 members.

The letter, addressed to the UCD School of Medicine, said it was disappointed in the school's "failure to address this case" both in "its apparent disregard for the victim and its willingness to ignore the overarching issue of misogyny and gender-based violence".

However, in his letter sent to the Medical Council this week, the dean of medicine Dr Paddy Mallon said statements made by the doctors in question were "inaccurate."

“The university has no evidence that any of the students in the UCD School of Medicine either willingly or recklessly shared these IBSA (Image Based Sexual Abuse) images or messages.

“In fact, our students and staff are among the victims of this IBSA and are experiencing significant ongoing trauma as a result,” he said.

Dr Mallon said these “inaccurate statements, disseminated on public media platforms, represent significant misinformation". 

He also said that, in a meeting with UCD Medical students' class representatives, the “public perception” was that they were “actively engaged in circulating images of IBSA". 

“These accusations are without evidence and are factually incorrect. These criminal activities are the subject of ongoing active Garda investigation.

“This letter, circulating online, contributes to ongoing misinformation and only serves to compound the significant trauma that our medical students are experiencing.

“Although likely unintended, the approach taken by these doctors in circulating this letter is ill-informed and constitutes significant misinformation,” Dr Mallon said.

UCD students are calling for survivor-centred practices, institutional accountability, and cultural reform. Picture: Sam Boal/Collins Photos

He said “implicating our students as in some way guilty in these attacks, adds to the impact of the IBSA in causing continued harm and ongoing trauma to a number of victims across our school of medicine community, staff and students alike”. 

In a statement, UCD said it is “deeply troubling and saddening that the university community can be a target for malicious individuals who use sophisticated digital technologies to conceal their identity while carrying out their appalling actions".

A spokesperson said the “needs of [Maeve] have been at the centre of the university’s response throughout" and it cares deeply about the trauma and anguish she has experienced. 

“From the very earliest stage of becoming aware of this criminal activity, the university has provided the gardaí with all materials and information that have come to our attention and that can assist them in their investigation.

"It would not be appropriate for the university to progress an internal investigation in parallel with an ongoing Garda criminal investigation,” the spokesperson said.

The Medical Council said it has received correspondence from the School of Medicine and that it is engaging with associated parties.