The university authorities in the Scottish city of Edinburgh have removed from display a bronze bust of the Hungarian-born writer, Arthur Koestler, after complaints from female students that he was a sexual abuser of women.

A recently-published biography of Mr Koestler "The Homeless Mind" by David Cesarani alleged that he had beaten and raped several women, including the wife of a former leader of the British Labour Party Jill Craigie, the wife of Michael Foot.

Mr Koestler, who died in 1982, left money for a parapsychology professorship in Edinburgh.

The university authorities say the bust was removed for security reasons.

Mr Koestler's writings include the anti-Stalinist novel "Darkness at Noon" and philosophical works like "The Lotus and the Robot" and "The Yogi and the Commissar".