Bupa boss nearly lost his job in gay vendetta
THE chief executive of Bupa UK was almost sacked after a banker slept with his boyfriend and then launched a smear campaign against him.
But the banker, Paul Blight, 41, was convicted of harassment after he claimed health boss David Hynam had carried out a homophobic hate campaign.
Mr Hynam’s boyfriend Ross Levine, who had been in a relationship with him for nine years, had a one night stand with Blight in February last year. But magistrates heard how Mr Levine blocked Blight’s phone number following their rendezvous because Blight kept calling and texting him.
While Mr Levine was on holiday last December, the banker then handdelivered a letter to his mother’s house, even though he had never been told where she lived.
Mr Levine didn’t hear from Blight again until April, when he received an email which said: ‘ Call me or come and see me, I do not appreciate being attacked by you and your family for over 300 days.’
The couple, who live in Bournemouth, blocked his email address, but did not go to the police.
However two weeks later, Mr Hynam was called out of a meeting at work and told serious allegations had been made against him. Blight claimed in a letter that a hate crime had been running for 320 days but the court heard the police had no record of the alleged crime. Following the allegations, Mr Hynam was placed under investigation at work and faced losing his job. Jennie Hopson-Hill, prosecuting, told Poole magistrates: ‘Mr Levine had a one night occurrence with this defendant [Blight] in February 2016 but after that night he only saw him if there was other mutual friends around. In June he asked Mr Levine to meet for coffee. During this meeting Mr Levine said he was very intense and wanted to start a relationship but he told him he was not interested. ‘After constant calls and texts, Mr Levine went on to block him from every social media and means of contact possible. ‘On April 12 Mr Blight sent a letter direct to Bupa stating Mr Hynam was involved in a homophobic and discrimination hate crime against him.
‘He said the hate crime had been running for 320 days and he had reported it to the police.
Miss Hopson-Hill added: ‘The letter had a career threatening impact on Mr Hynam due to the very high profile role he held. He was under investigation at one point as well but it didn’t go ahead. Mr Hynam and Mr Levine were extremely distressed by this behaviour.’
Magistrates found Blight guilty of harassing Mr Levine over a fourmonth period from December 2016 to April 1 this year and sending a letter which conveyed false information in relation to Mr Hynam.
Blight, who represented himself, said he didn’t think his behaviour towards Mr Levine constituted harassment and the letter was not sent to Mr Hynam but to the board of directors and data protection laws should protect him until the case was investigated.
Blight said he planned to appeal the decision. Magistrates gave him a four-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, and ordered him to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work.
He was also given a two-year restraining order banning him from contacting either Mr Levine or Mr Hynam, or going to their home.