A female firefighter has received a £40,000 payout for unfair dismissal after being forced out of her job for complaining about a colleague who went through her private diary.
Kelly Rice was romantically involved with a fellow firefighter who was also her mentor in the Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service department.
An employment tribunal found that the unnamed firefighter had “bullied and harassed” Ms. Rice during her time at the department.
After she filed a complaint, the male firefighter received a written warning, which Ms. Rice considered “inadequate.”
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In response, Ms. Rice refused to work, accusing the department’s culture of causing her to develop “anxiety and depression.”
She eventually left, but has now won £40,000 for unfair dismissal after a tribunal ruled she was wrongfully forced out.
Ms. Rice was forced to go through disciplinary proceedings while suffering from “trauma” due to the male firefighter’s abuse, according to the tribunal.
The tribunal reported: “On 2nd March 2020 [Ms. Rice] reported... the allegation that KS had searched through her bag at the fire station and read her private journal.
“That same day she ended the relationship with KS.
“She claimed that [she] did not believe that the investigation was fair or accurate,” the tribunal heard.
“[Ms. Rice said] there was additional evidence that she... could provide. [Ms. Rice said] the sanction was inadequate and showed in [her] view that the [fire service] considered the behavior acceptable.”
In 2021, Ms. Rice was instructed to return to her original role and was told she would need to resign and reapply if she wanted a non-active position.
She then took sick leave, citing the stress from the situation, claiming to have developed “complex post-traumatic stress disorder” due to the “coercive control” by her former lover.
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The department initiated disciplinary actions against Ms. Rice in 2022 after she missed mandatory return-to-work meetings.
She ultimately left the department in August 2022.
“I have lost my sense of self-worth and the confidence I once had in my abilities has been shattered,” Ms. Rice told the tribunal. “This has not only impacted my career progression but has also strained my relationships with family and friends.”
Employment Judge Paul Cadney said Ms. Rice was mistreated due to “firstly the requirement to attend for operational duties; secondly in commencing and upholding disciplinary action for her failure to do so, and thirdly in the dismissal of the appeal.”
He added: “It clearly did have the effect of prolonging and exacerbating in part the pre-existing consequences of the KS events.
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