Lecturer ‘forced out’ after false racism claim seeks £450K compensation

A college lecturer was “forced out” after a colleague was found to have spread false racism claims about her.

An employment tribunal found in favour of psychology teacher Dr Sharon Turton, who was “forced to take voluntary redundancy” from MidKent College due to undue stress.

Her legal team told education publication FE Week that they are seeking up to £450,000.

Dr Turton, 64, said: “I will never be able to enter the workplace again. I cannot go outside without having a panic attack.

“My mother, who is in her 80s, has become my full-time carer, and I’m having ongoing therapy. It’s not about the money. No money can compensate [for] what this has done to me and my family.”

The lecturer, who suffers from Asperger’s Syndrome, severe complex post-traumatic stress disorder and ADHD, had been open about her health issues with staff and students.

The tribunal heard how a fellow lecturer mocked her disabilities on several occasions by tapping her head to indicate her “mental problems” and made derogatory remarks about her loss of memory.

This was reported to the college by students who had recorded a lesson for their note-taking.

An investigation was launched after one of them also complained the colleague said her coursework had been deleted because Dr Turton disliked her “because of [her] family background and that all Gypsies should not be allowed to have an education”.

The judge ruled this was “fabricated information” of “false racist remarks” concerning the student’s Traveller heritage.

After hearing about the rumours, Dr Turton posted on Facebook asking her followers if anyone had heard what was being said- which was later taken down at the college’s request.

Smear campaign

She added: “I needed to know if there were rumours about me being a racist, and there were. I was fighting a smear campaign against me. My first concern was for the student, and I asked for somebody else to cover her class.

“And then I thought, oh my God if they believe it,I could be sacked on the spot, lose my house and even get a criminal record.”

Dr Turton was signed off sick with “stress-related illness”, returning in March 2022 and working mostly from home at her request to avoid the lecturer and another colleague.

A confrontation took place at the Medway campus in April 2022 when she came across the two women in the staff room and they both shouted at her: “Hello, Sharon.” Other members of staff described this as “very confrontational” and “excessive” behaviour.

Of the six complaints, including harassment related to disability, direct disability discrimination and failure to make reasonable adjustments for disabilities, three were “well-founded” and three were dismissed.

‘Considerable evidence’

In June 2022, Dr Turton and the two other lecturers were informed they were at risk of redundancy “due to a reduction in student numbers”. While signed off work, she was invited to a redundancy selection interview but she accepted voluntary redundancy instead due to her health issues.

The report said she felt that she had no option but to take redundancy saying she believed if she stayed she would have died.

The tribunal found “considerable evidence” that decision-makers considered Dr Turton to be difficult and internal HR emails suggest they may have seen redundancy as an “opportunity” to dismiss her.

Speaking at her home in Ashford, she said: “I loved the job and had planned to continue until I was 71. I was given the option to postpone the hearing because I had more evidence, but this has gone on too long and I needed to get it over [with].”

She said her aim was to make managers and HR teams aware of the problems facing disabled people in the workplace and to “expose” the behaviour shown to her. “It’s no good knowing about the Equality Act if you don’t know about hidden disabilities,” she added. “People ask what proof you have, but a lot of it is verbal and you don’t have any.

“Luckily, I have family in the legal profession who have helped me. But there are many in my situation who will not know how to get evidence together.”

‘Extremely seriously’

Simon Cook, the principal and chief executive of MidKent College, said the college takes the findings “extremely seriously”.

He said: “Throughout this time, the college has continued to learn and grow, strengthening its policies and practices to foster a more inclusive workplace.

“We are reviewing our internal processes to ensure that all concerns raised by staff are appropriately addressed and that our commitments to equality, diversity and inclusion are upheld in all aspects of college life.”

Dr Turton thanked her legal team for fighting her case through the tribunal and not accepting an out-of-court settlement.

The lecturer has three daughters and six grandchildren, and an 11-month-old Doberman puppy to keep her company.