THE HEAD OF UCD’s computer science department has issued an apology after an email was forwarded to students asking them to help develop a sexual consent application. 

An email sent to students this afternoon stated that the correspondence was sent in error.

The original email which was forwarded to all students by asked the computer science department to help develop an app which would record sexual consent between two people prior to any activity taking place. 

The email stated that the app could stop “life destroying legal ramifications” which arise in cases of sexual assault and rape. 

The initial email was allegedly sent by a student.

It cited an “ever growing fear for men to be sued post intercourse”. 

The email, which has been shared widely on social media, read: “With your help we can fight the ever growing fear for men to be sued post intercourse due to consent not being recorded/denied/retracted the life destroying legal ramifications that follow – as well as allowing for a clear opportunity if the other, for instance female, does not wish to continue in the act – and leaves out the lack of communication which is responsible for the destruction of thousands of lives each year.”

This afternoon, an email was sent by head of UCD Pádraig Cunningham to those in computer science students which stated it should not have been forwarded to students.

The email reads: “An email you received on Monday, March 11, 2019 with the subject heading “Fwd: Urgent” was not reviewed and approved by the UCD School of Computer Science before it was forwarded to our students.

“The School emailing lists should not have been used to circulate this email. It was issued in error. Please disregard the email.

“On behalf of the School, I would like to sincerely apologise to the students who have received this email and for the offense it has caused.

“The School of Computer Science will review and improve its approval process for all proposed emails to be sent to students on our lists to ensure that this can not happen again.”