Sufiah Yusof first made headlines in 1997 when she gained entry into St. Hilda's College, Oxford University to study mathematics at the age of 13.[1][2] Her father Farooq Yusof was a pioneer in the scientifically unproven tutoring process called hothousing.
In 2001, she ran away from her student flat in Oxford, after taking her final examination paper for the academic year.[3] She was found working as a waitress in a Bournemouth Internet cafe two weeks later, but refused to return home, alleging that her parents made life difficult for her at home.[4] She stayed with a foster family instead.
Two years later, she returned to Oxford to complete her undergraduate master, but failed to finish the year. She later married a trainee lawyer from Oxford. She was working at the time as an administrative assistant for a construction company. Her marriage ended after 13 months.
In March 2008, a reporter working undercover for the News of the World found her advertising as a prostitute under the name Shilpa Lee, quoting a rate of £130 an hour.[5][6] One of her friends described her change of fortunes as "desperately heartbreaking", adding that "her gift [for mathematics] really has been a curse".[7]
Sufiah's father Farooq pleaded guilty in April 2008 over charges of "indecently assaulting two 15-year-old girls while working as a personal tutor."[8]
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment