Two former drama students who alleged their college failed to properly investigate allegations of sexual abuse, leaving a male student free to carry out more attacks, have won their legal battle. A judge ruled in favour of Alyse McCamish and Sydney Feder, who said the prestigious Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (RWCMD) failed to uphold its duty of care to them. The court heard there was a culture of tolerance of sexual misconduct at the college, and that there was eye-rolling from some staff when the allegations were made. “It is nearly six years since I reported that I had been sexually assaulted … For the first time, I feel that somebody has heard what I have to say and agreed that what happened to me since then was wrong,” said Feder on Thursday. The two women, who have waived their right to anonymity, claimed the college failed to properly investigate their allegations against the same male student in 2017. And the court heard staff went so far as to help him draft a statement to his fellow students denying the allegations. The case became public in 2020, when the Guardian reported the women had said they were among more than a dozen others at the college to have made complaints of sexual misconduct against the same male student; most of whom have been unwilling to speak on the record. McCamish said she reported four sexual assaults within her first two weeks at the college. She said that, despite her following the institution’s instructions to repeat the allegations to a panel of lecturers, the college did not treat them as having officially been made because they were not in writing. Feder said that the same man was free in the intervening period to subject her to a “violent and sexual assault”. Both women claimed the college’s investigation, which considered all complaints against the man separately and not mutually supportive, was negligent and had caused them harm. “I hope that no student at RWCMD or any university has to go through what Alyse and I endured,” Feder said. “Sadly, I have no confidence that RWCMD will not repeat their behaviour and I know of others who have suffered because of their attitude towards sexual harassment.” During evidence in April and May, the court heard there was a culture at the college in which “minor sexual assault was tolerated or, at best, a blind eye was turned”. Instances were recounted in which college staff were said to have told a complainant disclosing the sexual attack perpetrated against her that it “sounds like a relationship gone wrong”. She was met with “impatience and mild incredulity”, as well as “eye-rolling”, the court heard. The court also heard about the lengths to which the college went to support the accused male student – including helping him draft and deliver the statement. McCamish said: “When I first reported that I had been repeatedly sexually assaulted by a student who was violent and coercive and had carried out the first attack when I was incapacitated, the immediate response from RWCMD was ‘it sounds like a relationship gone wrong’ … I now hope that no other student will have to endure what we have been through at the hands of RWCMD.” The RWCMD said: “Nothing is more important to us than keeping our students safe. We are sorry that the women involved in this case were hurt by aspects of the way the college responded to their complaints. “Since 2017, we’ve transformed how we respond to sensitive disclosures, how we deal with complaints or concerns and how we support and safeguard our students.” The judge awarded the two women damages due to the emotional trauma they suffered. Their lawyer, John Watkins of Bater Law, said: “This is a total and complete vindication for Sydney and Alyse. For the first time their complaints have been taken seriously and they feel that they have finally been heard.”