September 30, 2010
A recruitment executive forced from her job following a barrage of lewd comments is pursuing a claim for sexual harassment against her “humiliating” boss.
According to 49-year-old Debbie Smith, millionaire Tim Watts subjected her to a stream of “degrading and offensive” comments, even referring to the size of a colleague’s breasts on her first day at Birmingham recruitment firm Pertemps.
The mother of three alleges that Mr Watts, the 61-year-old chairman of the firm, whose personal fortune is thought to exceed £35-million, singled her out because she was female.
“I said that I had known a fellow Pertemps employee at school,” she said. “He (Watts) said to me: ‘Were her breasts as big as that at school?’” she told a tribunal.
“I was shocked and taken aback. I didn’t say anything as I didn’t want to be seen to be making trouble on my first day.”
Mr Watts is being sued for sexual harassment, sexual discrimination and victimisation. In addition, Mrs Smith is also claiming for loss of earnings, loss of pension contributions and injured feelings, as she feels she was forced out of her job after filing a grievance against Mr Watts.
“It seemed that on every occasion (that we met) he took the opportunity to comment inappropriately,” she added.
“He once asked me to phone him before going for a shower, which I thought was wholly inappropriate. Mr Watts told me I looked like a sexy nurse. These were sexual comments that were degrading, humiliating and offensive.
“Those comments would not have been made if I was male.”
The case continues.
