The Oxford Union has scrapped plans for shamed actor Chris Langham to address students because of the negative publicity surrounding the invitation.
The Bafta award-winner, jailed for downloading child pornography, was due to talk on May 27 about his conviction and his "vilification" in the media.
The Union said comments made by children's charity Kidscape had been a major factor in the decision to withdraw the invitation.
Ben Glazer, spokesman for the Oxford Union, also said they wanted to avoid protests like those which accompanied BNP leader Nick Griffin last year.
He said: "We don't want this term to be defined by controversy. We want to have a fun term and we don't want to offend anybody."
Kidscape said it was a victory for common sense.
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