A church charity worker who claimed she was sacked for whistleblowing about a married priest having a relationship with a “vulnerable” member of his congregation has won £8000 in compensation.
Caroline Marsland was unhappy that the clergyman was allowed to return to work after it was alleged he had a relationship with the woman, an employment tribunal heard.
The alleged behaviour of the priest – identified in tribunal documents only as DE – emerged after the unnamed woman’s partner complained to the Diocese of Glasgow and Galloway, a hearing was told.
Caroline, the project co-ordinator for a food bank run by the church in Dumbarton, was left “angry, upset and disgusted” by the revelations because she considered the woman to be a “vulnerable adult”.
But after an investigation ruled out wrongdoing and the priest returned to work as chair of the committee that ran the charity, Caroline’s relationship with him and the other church members became “strained”.
She had been instructed to keep the priest’s behaviour a secret but confided in a church friend.
Five months, later she was made redundant, with the charity – Food For Thought – saying it had decided to focus on using volunteers instead of paid employees.
The tribunal heard the food bank operated out of a hall at St Augustine’s Scottish Episcopal Church
in Dumbarton.
A complaint was made to the diocese about a “relationship” between DE and a woman identified only as AB – a client and volunteer with the charity who was also a member of the church.
The hearing was told: “[Mrs Marsland] was shocked by the complaint against DE. She had strong views about DE as a married man having a relationship with a client.
“She considered the client to be a vulnerable adult. She felt protective towards AB. She felt let down by DE.”
In October 2018, after DE had been allowed to return to the church to continue his duties, he and Caroline had a meeting in which he is alleged to have told her she was “causing division in the church” and should “find another job”.
The charity committee decided in January the following year that most of Caroline’s work could be done by volunteers and terminated her contract – but it had mistakenly believed she was self-employed.
Caroline claimed she had been unfairly sacked for whistleblowing about the DE revelations but the tribunal ruled this was not the case.
However, employment judge Frances Eccles ruled the dismissal was procedurally unfair and awarded her £8059.13 in compensation.
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here.
