Woman who returns uni key 40 years late avoids '£20k fine'

An American student has returned her room key to the University of Cambridge, 40 years after accidentally taking it back to the USA with her.

Carla Risoldi had been a summer school student at Gonville & Caius College for six weeks in 1985, but in her haste to make her flight back home, she forgot to return her key.

The error would usually incur an initial £10 fine with interest of £10 per week added on top, the college said.

Four decades later than planned, she returned it during a trip to the UK. Ms Risoldi said she was relieved to know the college decided to waive the £20,000 fine.

Remembering her time at the college, Ms Risoldi, who is now an attorney in her home country, said: "I was a student at the University of Pennsylvania, but it was a six-week course [in Cambridge] through the University of New Hampshire.

"It opened up my eyes - I had never been anywhere."

She returned the key to Caius' senior shift porter, John Turton, at the Trinity Street Porters' Lodge during her recent visit.

The college said: "The fine - to cover the cost of cutting a new key - and any associated interest - was waived on this occasion and Carla, having returned the obsolete key, was presented with it as a memento of a glorious, formative summer."

A spokesman added the comment about interest was tongue-in-cheek on this occasion, but having calculated it, said: "It's £10 if the key is not returned within 24 hours of checkout, and thereafter £10 per week.

"If we assume 40 years is 2,085 weeks, that's a fine of £20,850 - which of course, was not enforced - we're quite friendly here."