PC who parked car in disabled bay loses discrimination case
APOLICEWOMAN reprimanded for parking her patrol car in a disabled bay while buying cakes for fellow officers has lost legal action against the police for race discrimination and victimisation.
Law graduate Simina Muntean, who moved to the UK from Romania in 2006, had earlier been warned about parking in disabled bays at her own police station, Birmingham Employment Tribunal heard.
The court was told the 36-yearold had also been spoken to by superiors for:
Calling an “d**khead” while domestic incident ;
Complaining about being late home while dealing with a rape victim;
Following a pyjama-wearing prisoner upstairs while he got changed.
She also partly blamed her fail- individual attending a a ure in two “high-powered” police driving courses, costing £1,500 a time, on a racist instructor, the tribunal heard.
The judgment revealed PC Muntean, from Wolverhampton, has been unsuccessful in her legal action over alleged race discrimination, victimisation and detriment for making whistleblowing allegations.
The case was told she felt there was a “witch-hunt” against her.
She had taken the force to tribunal in 2013, again alleging race discrimination. On that occasion the parties later compromised without admission of liability.
She is still working for West Midlands Police, but based at West Bromwich.
PC Muntean joined the force as a student officer in October 2009.
In January 2016, she was spoken to “regarding her apparent reluctance to receive, accept or act on feedback”. She felt she was singled out and told the tribunal: “I began to notice a difference in treatment towards me.”
In April 2016, she was threatened with prosecution for parking in a disabled bay while buying cakes for colleagues.
Tribunal chairman David Perry said: “PC Muntean accepted she had parked her marked police vehicle in a public disabled parking bay to buy cakes from a shop.
“The cake shop was said to be approximately a five-minute walk from the police station so, in any event, there was no necessity to park there.
“It transpires PC Muntean regularly bought cakes for colleagues essentially as a forfeit as she was sometimes late for the start of shift briefing. It was not clear if this was such an incident.
“We find that PC Muntean was told that she would be issued with a fixed penalty notice.”
A year earlier, PC Muntean had been warned for potentially “inflaming” a domestic incident by allegedly calling an individual a “d**khead”.
“PC Muntean was alleged have said in response to to a request from the son to stop treating him like a d**khead to have allegedly told him to stop behaving like a d**khead,” Mr Perry said. “She states she responded by stating ‘Stop acting like one’.
A month later, her handling of a rape case was criticised.
The report states: “PC Muntean was alleged to have stated in the presence of the rape victim that dealing with the incident would mean she was late finishing her duty and that she needed to get home on time.”
She admitted making the comment but not in the victim’s presence.
Judge Perry concluded: “PC Muntean’s complaints of direct discrimination, victimisation and detriment having made a protected disclosure are not wellfounded, and are dismissed.”
A friend of the policewoman said: “She is very disappointed by the decision and is considering appealing. She loved the job and, since childhood, dreamed of being a police officer.”