Student filmed burning £20 note in front of homeless person not 'direct' relation of Nicola Sturgeon

Student Ronald Coyne was allegedly caught on film setting fire to the banknote whilst wearing a white bow toe and tails in Cambridge.

He was kicked out of the Cambridge University Conservative Association where he was the communications officer.

A source said he told fellow students over a number of years he was Nicola Sturgeon's nephew, but a spokesman for the Scottish Government denied he was a direct relative.

He added: "The individual is not a direct relative of the First Minister or her husband.

"It's as simple as that."

A spokeswoman added: "They are not really related, the connection is so distant it doesn't even count as a relation, there are six or seven degrees between them.

"He might go around saying he is her nephew but he's not.

"She has no recollection of ever meeting him. Somewhere along the line his dad is the brother of the ex-husband of the sister of the First Minster's husband."

George Clarke, founder of Embrace Cambridge, a charity that works with homeless people in Cambridge, said drunk students should not be abusing homeless people.

He added: "There is a disturbing precedent for intoxicated Cambridge students abusing rough sleepers in the city, but as well as calling out this disgraceful behaviour wherever we find it we can and should remember that there is a real heart for charity at this university too."

Video of the incident was seen by hundreds of students after it was shared on Snapchat.

In the video, the student struggles to light the note, while the film-maker panned to the homeless person.

The student says "some homeless shelter", and the video cuts out, which was allegedly taken in the early hours of February 2.

It has been rumoured that burning a £50 note in front of a homeless person is one of the initiation ceremonies of Oxford's notorious Bullingdon club.

Speaking to student newspaper The Tab, a Cambridge resident who saw the student soon after the incident said: "I was blocked from getting into my college as some chap in white tie was being excluded by the porters.

"I saw the videos of what he did the next morning, and am utterly shocked and appalled that someone would do such a thing.

"I'm sure I speak on behalf of the student body when I say that we condemn such actions."

Cambridge University Conservative Association said the student has been expelled from the association but added that the burning of money was not done before or after a CUCA event.

A Cambridge University Conservative Association spokesman said the behaviour was "abhorrent and repugnant".

He added: "The CUCA committee became aware of serious allegations against Ronald Coyne late last week concerning his private behaviour.

"There is no room for people who behave like that in our Association, any other University Association, or frankly our University.

"This disgusting and abhorrent behaviour occurred completely independently of CUCA, and did not take place before or after any CUCA event.

"This is borne out by our term card and Facebook events. His resignation was immediately demanded and we determined the appropriate response to be to permanently revoke his membership and bar him from all future events, which we did on Saturday.

"There is no place for people who behave like this in CUCA, however we must emphasise that he was no more representing CUCA in his behaviour than he was another other University Association of which he may be member.

"Notwithstanding, we wish to totally disassociate ourselves from the individual and his behaviour."

White tie is the most formal dress code, even more so than Black tie and is usually reserved for the highest of high profile events - like state dinners with the Queen, Nobel Prize ceremonies, and Magdalene May Ball.

Some members of the Cambridge University Conservative Association are known to regularly wear white tie to CUCA dinners.

Ex-cabinet minister Ken Clarke is a former chairman, while ex-chief whip Andrew Mitchell and Lord Speaker Lord Fowler are both still Honorary Vice-Presidents.

The Honorary President is prominent historian Andrew Roberts, author of 'Napoleon the Great'.

This is not the first time in recent months CUCA have been embroiled in scandal.

In June last year, CUCA had to defend themselves against multiple allegations of sexism after varsity revealed that the women's officer felt she had "faced open ridicule" and "aggressive sexism".

Ronald's mum, Sandra McLaughlin, 46, said she could not understand her son's behaviour.

Speaking from their family home in Livingston, West Lothian, 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.

"He's been a hard-working student who is very, very lucky and aware of the privilege he has to study at Cambridge.

"It's been stressful. I'm starting to panic because I can't get a hold of him.

"He spoke to us after the event and said he'd done something very stupid and felt really bad about it.
"He went out a few nights later around Cambridge with one of his friends to do the homeless run and give out tea, coffee and sandwiches to them.

"And this was before the press and ourselves caught on to what he'd done.

"He's obviously known what he's done himself.

"It's baffling. I've no idea. It's not part of his make-up. He's a quiet boy, he wasn't a wild teenager, he was in chess club at school."