A Catholic firearms officer has won almost £44,000 in a religious harassment case after 'f*** the Pope' was written on his work coffee mug. Police Sergeant Paul McCue discovered the message had been graffitied on the underside of his Celtic Football Club mug and was so upset he had to go home from work.
The officer - part of a unit dedicated to protecting nuclear sites - had previously been 'harassed' by colleagues writing comments about loyalist paramilitary group the Ulster Defence Association, an employment tribunal heard. The hearing was told there was a history of 'religious tensions' within the Civil Nuclear Constabulary unit where Sgt McCue worked, with the force having to hold investigations and training sessions following allegations of sectarianism.
Now, Sgt McCue - who has been off work for more than a year - has been awarded £43,981 in compensation after successfully suing the force, which protects the UK's nuclear sites, over the mug incident. The firearms officer, responsible for managing a team of officers, was based at Hunterston B Power Station on the west coast of Scotland, having joined the force in 2007.
Sgt McCue, a Roman Catholic, had previously fallen out with colleagues he believed to be Protestant on nights out, the Glasgow tribunal heard. But in June 2020 he was left upset when he found a note saying 'UDA no surrender' in his pigeon hole.
Just weeks later, in August 2020, his wife discovered another note with the same words written on it inside his work jacket. Sgt McCue reported the notes and a 'critical incident' was declared by his bosses - with Police Scotland even launching an investigation and examining them for fingerprints.
Sgt McCue spent two months on sick leave as his mental health was 'not great', meanwhile the nuclear police launched a new equality policy and Police Scotland closed their investigation due to a lack of evidence. By June 2021, having returned to his £42,000 a year job, Sgt McCue was targeted for the third time.
A tribunal report said: "Sgt McCue found the letters 'FTP' having recently been written on the underside of his mug in the kitchen area having been away from the unit the previous week. He reported the incident to Police Scotland.
"'FTP' was shorthand for 'f*** the Pope'. The mug he used referred to Celtic Football Club. The ink had not fully dried which suggested it had been written relatively recently. The mug had been stored in the kitchen cupboard which was unlocked.
"The mug was not in its usual location in the cupboard and had been moved to his section's cupboard where it was located. Sgt McCue reported the incident to a fellow Sergeant who was nearby.
"He was upset and had to go home. He was unable to continue working that day and commenced a period of sick leave with work-related stress. Sgt McCue stated he would inform Police Scotland as a hate crime."
Sgt McCue later had therapy following the incidents, it was heard. He believed he was being targeted by one colleague in particular 'and his cronies'. An internal health and safety investigation found unknown colleague or colleagues "who have a dislike for him based around his religion and are using bigoted/sectarian phrases or acronyms to target him knowing it will cause him distress/mental health".
But, it found there were 'no widespread problems of sectarianism'. It found 'there were clearly some personal animosities and occasional allegations and counter-allegations but no more'. Group training sessions were carried out, with some suggesting 'this is normal banter'.
At the tribunal, Employment Judge David Hoey ruled Sgt McCue was harassed on grounds of religion over the mug incident as steps were not followed which could have prevented it after the previous two incidents. The officer Sgt McCue accused of carrying out the attacks was never interviewed and 'bespoke' training was not carried out within six months.
Judge Hoey said Sgt McCue was 'clearly under significant stress' and added: "The Tribunal considered that there had been religious tensions in place amongst certain colleagues. It was clear, as the author of the health and safety report noted, that there was at least one person or persons who had a dislike of the Sgt McCue because of his religion.
"While the time between the second and third incident was significant, the Tribunal considered that it was likely that the same person or persons were behind the incidents which amounted to a continuing act of religious harassment." Sgt McCue's religious harassment claim over the mug incident succeeded as 'reasonable steps' including carrying out a formal investigation were not carried out.
However, his religious harassment claim relating to the two 'UDA' not incidents were struck out as the tribunal found the force treated them seriously. Civil Nuclear Police Authority, which oversees the Civil Nuclear Constabulary, was ordered by the tribunal to pay Sgt McCue £43,981 in damages to cover injury to feelings and financial losses.
At the hearing to decide compensation, the tribunal was told that he is still at least nine months away from returning to the force and may be forced to look for another career. Judge Hoey said: "The impact on (Sgt McCue) has been severe. (He) has been off work for 16 months as a direct result of the (FTP) incident and has reported scores of severe anxiety and depression.
"He experiences panic attacks and is now in receipt of medication to manage his mental health. The effect on (him) has been profound. It has lasted for 16 months now and that effect is continuing, this is an exceptional case."
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