Police officer wins Employment Tribunal claim for victimization

MoJA female sergeant in the Northamptonshire Police force has won her claim for victimization in the Employment Tribunal after she was subjected to a detriment for complaining that colleagues had brought in pornographic cards to work.

Sergeant Lara Alexandra-Lloyd was employed by Nottinghamshire Police force as a sergeant when a colleague of hers showed her his pornographic playing card which he kept in his official notebook. She submitted a complaint regarding this and the fact that colleagues of hers made “grossly offensive sexual remarks to colleagues”. However, the offending colleagues were only given minor disciplinary sanctions, with one of the officers being given a “management action” (the lowest sanction possible) whereas the other officer was given a written warning. However, after making the complaint Sgt Alexandra-Lloyd contended that she was subjected to an extended period of victimization by her managers at the police force, with senior officers attempting to “ferret out” any misconduct she had engaged in since she commenced employment with the police force. After nine months of this victimization Sgt Alexandra-Lloyd issued an Employment Tribunal claim for victimization and her claim came before the Bedford Employment Tribunal in July 2013.

The Employment Tribunal heard that senior officers at the Northamptonshire Police force had issued minor disciplinary sanctions to the two offending colleagues but made a series of “historical and trivial” charges against the sergeant, including:

  • That she had called a colleague a “cheese”; and
  • That she used a derogatory term “at some point up to two years previously”

The Employment Tribunal further heard that the nine-month probe into Sgt Alexandra-Lloyd resulted in her being hauled before a disciplinary hearing.

Employment Judge Colm O’Rourke said that the Nottinsghamire Police’s Professional Standards Department (“PSD”) attempted to “ferret out” allegations of misconduct against her and found in her favour in her claim for victimization.

Neither Sgt Alexandra-Lloyd nor the Nottinghamshire Police force appear to have commented after the Judgment was published.