Paper faces £800,000 stress payout
Paper faces £800,000 stress payout
A News of the World reporter who suffered from a culture of bullying led by former editor Andy Coulson, who is now David Cameron's head of communications, has been awarded almost £800,000 for unfair dismissal and disability discrimination. The Guardian reports Matt Driscoll, a sports reporter sacked in April 2007 while on long-term sick leave for stress-related depression, was awarded £792,736 by the employment tribunal. It is believed to be the highest payout of its kind in the media, and legal costs could take News International's total bill well over the £1m mark. Driscoll, who has not been in a full-time job since his dismissal, said the award reflected the severity of the case. The tribunal found in December 2008 that Driscoll had fallen victim to 'a consistent pattern of bullying behaviour.' It added the problem started with Andy Coulson and spread to other senior managers. The judgment singled out Coulson for making 'bullying' remarks in an email to Driscoll after a first formal warning, letting him know that he thought he should have been sacked. According to the tribunal, the bullying continued after Driscoll went on sick leave. Senior management at the paper sent Driscoll a barrage of emails, phone calls and visited his home to demand that he see a company doctor, despite Driscoll's GP advising him to 'distance' himself from the source of his stress.
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