Firefighter handed £40k payout after being 'traumatised' by fireman lover reading her diary
A female firefighter has been awarded a £40,000 unfair dismissal payout after she was forced out of her job for complaining about a colleague looking through her private diary.
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Kelly Rice was in a romantic relationship with a fellow firefighter who acted as her mentor in the Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service department.
The unnamed firefighter was found to have “bullied and harassed” Ms Rice during her time with the department, an employment tribunal heard.
Following her complaint, the male firefighter received a written warning, deemed “inadequate” by Ms Rice.
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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, but has now won £40,000 in unfair dismissal after a tribunal ruled she was wrongfully forced out.
Ms Rice was forced to undergo disciplinary proceedings while suffering “trauma” as a result of the male firefighter’s abuse, the tribunal said.
The tribunal heard: “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 that she ended the relationship with KS.
“She asserted that [she] did not believe that the investigation was fair or accurate,” the tribunal heard.
“[Ms Rice said] there was further evidence that she... could provide. [Ms Rice said] the sanction was inadequate and demonstrated in [her] view that the [fire service] regarded the behaviour as acceptable.”
In 2021, Ms Rice was told to return to her original role and told she would have to quit and reapply if she wanted a non-active post.
She then took sick leave, citing the stress caused by the situation, claiming to have developed “complex post-traumatic stress disorder” because of “coercive control” of her once-lover.
The department began disciplinary proceedings against Ms Rice in 2022 after she failed to attend compulsory return-to-work meetings.
She eventually 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.