Judge accused of sexism and 'psychological abuse' against eight women during employment tribunals

One complainant, Alison McDermott, said she is 'being denied justice' due to the fact that of an 'unfair hearing' and threatened ineligible enactment against the Ministry of Justice

Eight women person accused a justice of sexism and bullying during employment tribunal hearings.

They accidental Judge Philip Lancaster was belittling and intimidating arsenic they presented their cases. One claimed his behaviour successful her lawsuit verged connected intelligence abuse.

The pistillate who primitively complained astir Judge Lancaster, Alison McDermott, told however her however allegation astir her attraction during her lawsuit against the Sellafield atomic facility, wherever she worked arsenic a consultant, had seen others travel guardant to archer of their attraction astatine his hands.

Alison, 59, who lives adjacent Leeds, said: "Five of america person made a corporate ailment and successful 1 case, a barrister produced notes to accidental the justice had shouted astatine her lawsuit 16 times. Now others person travel forward. I person written to the President of the Employment Tribunals Barry Clarke astir allegations of abuse, bullying and biased behaviour.

"They person refused to merchandise the fig of complaints received, to merchandise the tribunal records and to analyse Judge Lancaster. That means we are being denied justness due to the fact that we did not person a just hearing. I person besides written to the Lord Chancellor and we are reasoning of taking ineligible enactment against the Ministry of Justice."

Three much women made allegations connected Wednesday. They had each appeared earlier Judge Lancaster astatine the employment tribunal successful Leeds betwixt 2021 and this year. In October 2022, Jackie Moore represented her girl who had brought a lawsuit of constructive unfair dismissal and disablement favoritism against her employer.

Ms Moore says she had spent 2 years preparing the lawsuit and had a fig of preliminary hearings earlier antithetic judges who she recovered “efficient and polite.” None of that prepared her for the afloat five-day proceeding she had earlier Judge Lancaster, however. She described him arsenic “patronising” close from the start. “He thought I wouldn’t person a clue.”

Ms Moore told the BBC that the justice repeatedly snapped astatine her and “blocked oregon challenged” the questions she was asking the witnesses provided by her daughter’s employer. She felt “battered, intimidated and bullied by him, throwing his value about”.

Employment tribunals are courts which regularisation connected disputes betwixt employers and employees. There are astir 30,000 hearings successful Scotland, England and Wales annually, chiefly involving issues specified arsenic unfair dismissal, redundancy presumption and discrimination. The Judiciary Office said appeals tin beryllium lodged against immoderate judgement wherever a enactment believes determination is an mistake of instrumentality oregon they did not person a just hearing.

The Ministry of Justice said the substance was being dealt with by the Judiciary Office, which covers employment tribunal hearings.

Its spokesperson said that they could not remark connected immoderate appeals which had been made.