A law student at the University of Exeter has seen a job offer yanked off the table after a fellow student exposed racist and vile comments he and other classmates made in a group chat.

With BBC News reporting the university is investigating multiple students for posting what were described as “vile, deplorable” racist comments from a private students’ WhatsApp group, the Tab reports that one law student has been informed that a job offer has been withdrawn due to his comments — including one calling rape “funny.”

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The Tab notes that student Matthew Bell, the general secretary of the Bracton Law Society, has been informed his services are no longer needed at Hill Dickinson LLP, a law firm he was previously set to join in September 2019 as part of their graduate program.

Among comments Bell made were homophobic, racist and sexist slurs using language such as, “rape is funny”, “gay marriage should be illegal”, and “blacks are useless tree ornaments.” He also made frequent use of the N-word.

In a statement on Facebook, the law firm where Bell had hoped to find employment, stated: “Following serious allegations made against an individual who was due to join the firm in September 2019, we have now spoken to the individual and revoked his offer of employment. We are deeply disturbed by the messages that were brought to our attention last night and would like to stress that the views expressed by the individual and others involved in this matter do not in any way represent the views of the firm and we absolutely do not condone this behaviour.”

Bell is not the only student under investigation at Exeter, with the Tab posting photos and biographies of all five students who participated in the 2017 group chats under the name “Dodgy Blokes Soc,” which were exposed by fellow student Arslan Motavlai.