Cambridge Professor's Friend Says He Was Scared to Leave House Hours Before Death

Jason Arday -- the former Cambridge professor accused of plagiarism who was found dead in London Friday -- feared leaving the house amid the media scrutiny just before he died ... according to a longtime friend.

Simon Baron-Cohen, the director of the Autism Research Center at the University of Cambridge, appeared on BBC Radio 4's "Today" Saturday ... and he discussed his last conversation with Arday, which he says took place hours before he passed.

Baron-Cohen says Arday confided in him that he was afraid to leave home ... because he felt "bombarded" by the media calling him a fraud.

Baron-Cohen calls Arday "an incredibly kind and gentle and caring and generous man" ... but adds he wasn't coping well with the negative attention. He says Arday's final voice note was about how "he couldn’t go on."

Baron-Cohen adds, "We need to let the investigations proceed. We need to understand how this tragedy has happened, but there has to be accountability at lots of levels.”

As we reported ... Deborah Prentice, the Vice-Chancellor Professor at the University of Cambridge, confirmed Arday's death Friday, saying, "We are desperately saddened to hear this tragic news" and "our heartfelt sympathies go to Jason Arday’s family and friends at this incredibly difficult time."

Cops have not made a determination about his cause of death yet ... but say it appears "unexpected" but not suspicious.

Arday was hired by Cambridge in 2023 ... but recently, he's faced a series of plagiarism accusations related to his work for the university. Cambridge launched an investigation into Arday, and he later resigned.

He was just 41 years old.

RIP