AN English lorry driver has won a £3,500 payout for race discrimination after his boss described him as 'lazy'.
James Heeley told a tribunal that colleagues in Peterborough teased him repeatedly over his nationality, making jibes that he was workshy, reported The Times.
Heeley said that he had heard Gurvinder Singh Birk, boss of Birk Holdings, mentioned that no more English drivers should be used as they are lazy and only interested in claiming benefits.
Though company officials insisted that the workers had been joking, the panel ruled that Heeley had suffered race discrimination and harassment, The Times added.
Heeley was awarded £2,500 for injury to feelings and a further £961.74 for a breach of employment law.
The hearing at Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, was told that Heeley started driving for the company in 2017, when only five of its 16 employees were white British.
The tribunal ruled that between 2018 and 2019 Heeley was the victim of numerous discriminatory comments.
He told the hearing that senior staff at the transport company had said that he did not do much work because he was English. He also accused two employees of making 'discriminatory comments'.
Heeley said that when he returned after a few days off sick a worker said: “Oh, the lazy English worker has decided to come back to work.”
But, employees told the tribunal that the comments were 'jokes' by colleagues Heeley regarded as friends, The Times report said.
The hearing was told that Heeley was sacked in 2019, with Birk citing concerns about his performance, attendance and time keeping.
“The comments are serious such that they create a hostile and/or intimidating environment because they are made by a number of reasonably senior individuals, over a period of time, repeated and in a workplace in which the claimant was a minority," said employment Judge Jennifer Bartlett.
“Many extremely unpleasant behaviours can be dressed up as jokes but it is no excuse.”
Clifford had previously pleaded guilty to the murders of BBC sports commentator John Hunt’s wife and two daughters at their home in northwest of London, in July 2024. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)
Crossbow murderer found guilty of raping ex-girlfriend
A 26-YEAR-OLD man who murdered three women in a crossbow and stabbing attack has been found guilty of raping one of them, his ex-girlfriend, a British court ruled on Thursday.
Kyle Clifford had previously pleaded guilty to the murders of BBC sports commentator John Hunt’s wife and two daughters at their home in Bushey, northwest of London, in July 2024.
The attack led to a manhunt before Clifford was found injured hours later in a north London cemetery.
A jury at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday convicted Clifford of raping 25-year-old Louise Hunt before killing her.
His sentencing for all the crimes is scheduled for Tuesday.
Clifford had admitted to murdering Carol Hunt, 61, and her daughters Louise and Hannah, 28. He had also pleaded guilty to charges of false imprisonment and possessing offensive weapons but denied raping Louise.
During the trial, the court heard that after killing Carol Hunt, Clifford waited for an hour before attacking Louise, tying her up, raping her, and then killing her with a crossbow. He later killed Hannah when she returned home from work.
The prosecution described Clifford, a former soldier, as committing a "violent, sexual act of spite" and said he was "enraged" after Louise ended their 18-month relationship. They told the court that he had "carefully planned" the attack.
Less than 24 hours before the killings, Clifford had searched for a podcast by social media influencer Andrew Tate, according to the prosecution. They argued that the murders were driven by the "violent misogyny promoted" by Tate.
Justice Joel Bennathan called Clifford’s crimes "dreadful" and "almost unspeakable".
(With inputs from AFP)