Oxford Lecturer, Formerly Linked to Michael Gove, Faces Child Abuse Image Trial

An Oxford University lecturer, previously in a relationship with Conservative peer Michael Gove, is facing trial on charges of possessing child abuse images. Dr. Lola Salem, 33, has been charged with possessing multiple indecent photographs of a child. She has pleaded not guilty to the offenses.

Salem, a music lecturer at Oxford's Oriel College since 2022, has been suspended by the institution. She also previously lectured in French at Wadham and St Catherine's Colleges. A procedural hearing in her case took place at Oxford Crown Court on September 30, where her trial was scheduled for March 2028. The trial is expected to last two to three days.

Salem was in a relationship with Lord Gove for over two years. The couple's romance became public in July 2024 when they attended The Spectator summer party, shortly before Gove was named editor of the magazine. Gove confirmed their split to the Daily Mail, stating, "We are no longer in a relationship."

Dr Lola Salem, 33, who until recently was the girlfriend of Lord Gove, has been charged with possessing multiple indecent photographs of a child.

She is accused of possessing three category B indecent images of children between May 19, 2021, and February 13, 2023. She also faces a charge for possessing a category C indecent image of a child between April 6, 2021, and February 13, 2023. The academic remains on bail, and it is understood her defense will argue that the images were sent to her unsolicited and that she reported them to the police.

Salem was charged by Thames Valley Police in May of this year, along with Henry Hopwood-Phillips, a historian and geopolitical analyst. Hopwood-Phillips admitted to two counts of taking and two counts of distributing indecent photographs of a child in June, receiving a 15-month suspended sentence and lifetime sex offender notification requirements.

News of their romance emerged when the pair arrived together at a party for The Spectator in July 2024. The Daily Mail’s Eden Confidential diary recently revealed that they have split up.

Salem, originally from France, trained as a singer in her youth and pursued musicology studies in Paris before earning a PhD in music from Oxford. Her doctoral research focused on the role of female singers in shaping operatic repertoire. Between 2021 and 2023, she worked as head of development at the Canterbury Institute and lectured in French at Oxford colleges. In 2023, she was selected as a Civic Future Fellow, an organization focused on training individuals for public office.

Oriel College confirmed in a statement that it was made aware of the charges in June 2026 and that the employee was suspended pending the outcome of legal proceedings.