More women accuse Leeds employment tribunal judge of bullying

Three extra ladies have accused a choose of bullying throughout employment tribunal hearings.

They are saying Decide Philip Lancaster was belittling and intimidating and made them really feel silly whereas they introduced their instances. One mentioned she felt his behaviour in her case verged on psychological abuse.

The three ladies have spoken out following a BBC report in April through which 5 ladies accused Mr Lancaster of bullying and sexist behaviour.

A spokesperson for the Judiciary Workplace, which helps the judiciary throughout courts in England and Wales, mentioned judges can’t touch upon issues of conduct as a consequence of constitutional preparations.

It mentioned allegations of misconduct in courtroom might be referred to the Judicial Conduct Investigation Workplace.

The three ladies all appeared earlier than Decide Lancaster on the employment tribunal in Leeds between 2021 and this yr.

In October 2022, Jackie Moore represented her daughter who had introduced a case of constructive unfair dismissal and incapacity discrimination towards her employer.

Ms Moore had spent two years getting ready the case and had quite a lot of preliminary hearings earlier than completely different judges who she discovered “environment friendly and well mannered.”

Nevertheless, she says none of that ready her for the total five-day listening to she had earlier than Decide Lancaster. She says he was “patronising” proper from the beginning.

“He thought I wouldn’t have a clue.”

Ms Moore mentioned the choose repeatedly snapped at her and “blocked or challenged” the questions she was asking the witnesses offered by her daughter’s employer.

She says she felt “battered, intimidated and bullied by him, throwing his weight about”.

When she learn the accounts by different ladies who had appeared earlier than the choose she realised she was not alone.

Employment tribunals are specialist courts that rule on disputes between employers and staff. There are about 30,000 hearings in Scotland, England and Wales yearly, primarily involving points equivalent to unfair dismissal, redundancy phrases and discrimination. Northern Ireland has a separate system.

In April BBC Information heard allegations from 5 different ladies about Decide Lancaster’s behaviour. The ladies, who encountered him in separate instances, mentioned they needed to focus on his “degrading behaviour”, together with what they mentioned was “misogyny and bullying”.

Earlier this yr, one other girl spent seven days in a listening to earlier than Decide Lancaster, having introduced a case of age discrimination, constructive dismissal and unfair discrimination towards her employer.

The lady, who needs to stay nameless, says she felt “absolutely ready” as she had spent properly over a yr engaged on her case, even attending different hearings in Leeds to see how litigants-in-person – individuals who characterize themselves – had been handled.

Once more, she says her preliminary hearings had gone properly. “Everybody allowed me to speak, no person shut me down, no person made me really feel ineffective.”

That have, says the 45-year-old, was in direct distinction to how she was handled by Decide Lancaster.

“He made my life hell,” she remembers. “He’d put his arms on his head, and appeared disinterested in what I used to be saying. He repeatedly requested why I used to be asking [my employer’s witnesses] specific questions and raised his voice quite a few occasions. I felt ineffective.” She is now interesting the ruling.

Angela Gates introduced a case of incapacity discrimination and constructive dismissal towards her employer in 2021.

She says a listening to in entrance of Decide Lancaster made her really feel “like a villain being prosecuted”.

She says: “I felt I couldn’t give my aspect on something.”

The four-day listening to was held on Zoom, and Ms Gates, 53, says Decide Lancaster frequently shouted at her, repeatedly telling her to be quiet. She says his behaviour was “appalling and degrading, verging on psychological abuse”, including: “I don’t imagine I’ve been given a good trial.”

In his judgement, the choose mentioned he agreed with the defence’s description of Ms Gates as “tipping into paranoia”, saying this was not a criticism of her however “a reality, given her poor psychological well being”. Ms Gates says she discovered this grossly offensive.

“He has no medical coaching to achieve that conclusion,” she says.

She appealed the judgement however didn’t complain about Decide Lancaster’s behaviour as, like many different litigants, “you might be advised to not complain on the grounds of bias”.

“You are feeling it is going to have an effect on your case for those who get private a couple of choose.”

A spokesperson for the Judiciary Workplace mentioned appeals might be lodged towards any judgement the place a celebration believes there may be an error of legislation or they didn’t obtain a good listening to.

However bringing a grievance towards a choose within the employment tribunal system is extraordinarily troublesome. Decide’s notes are considered the official courtroom document however there is no such thing as a obligation to launch them. Since late final yr, proceedings in some tribunals have been recorded however there may be additionally no obligation on the courtroom to launch the audio or present the claimants with a transcript.

One of many ladies who initially complained about Decide Lancaster’s behaviour, Alison McDermott, believes the judicial system is completely unaccountable.

“I’m fed up with this nonsense, the shortage of transparency and equity in a courtroom of legislation within the UK,” she mentioned. “The entire system is in pressing want of a complete investigation.”