Woman pictured bound and gagged at work seeks £42,000 damages

A SCOTTISH Government agency employee who was pictured bound and gagged at work is seeking up to £42,000 in damages over anonymous cards she received.

At an employment tribunal in Aberdeen, Deeann Fitzpatrick claimed she has experienced bullying and harassment after she became a “whistleblower” while employed at Marine Scotland. In a previous hearing, Ms Fitzpatrick alleged she was taped to a chair and gagged by colleagues in 2010.

However, it is understood the tribunal is unable to consider that allegation as it was said to have taken place more than three years before the complaint was brought.

The 49-year-old Canadian national previously said she felt intimidated after being sent anonymous cards, claiming she was targeted with sexual harassment and for being a woman, as well as over her age. She alleged two colleagues – Derek Yule and Reid Anderson – were responsible for sending them.

The abuse is said to have taken place between 2015 and 2017 while she was based in the government body’s Scrabster office in the Highlands and continued after she was signed off sick.

Andrew Gibson, representing Scottish ministers, said the tribunal panel should “throw out” her case and described some of her claims as “simply ridiculous”. He raised the point that Mr Anderson had been based in the Campbeltown office in Argyll and Bute since 2011 and three cards are postmarked from Inverness – which is 190 miles away.

Mr Gibson said: “It’s impossible for anyone to say that any of these cards were sent by employees of the respondent or, quite frankly, anybody else.

“We don’t know who sent these cards, neither does the claimant, neither do you (the panel).” Mr Gibson told the tribunal both men denied the claims and said there appeared to be four different types of handwriting in the cards.

However neither of them was required to submit evidence of their own writing to the tribunal.

Ms Fitzpatrick has worked for Marine Scotland since 2006.

She is currently on special leave, the tribunal heard.

The tribunal panel is to reach a decision in five or six weeks.

We don’t know who sent these cards