Charity Chief acted reprehensibly in seeking an enhanced CRB in the hope it might assist in getting rid of staff member

A Wrexham  must pay a former employee more than £21,000 after failing to change fluorescent lighting that triggered her migraine attacks.

An employment tribunal found Genevieve Bove was discriminated against and victimised while working at the Association of Voluntary Organisations in Wrexham (AVOW)

In a damning judgement, the tribunal accused trustees of failing in their duty to monitor the conduct of their paid officials.

But the organisation’s chief officer John Gallanders came in for the strongest criticism at the hearing at Abergele.

He is said to have acted “reprehensibly” in seeking an enhanced Criminal Records Bureau check on Ms Bove in the hope it might unearth something which would make it easier to get rid of her.

Mr Gallanders also engineered a hearing to discuss Ms Bove’s disability discrimination claim in a room where there was fluorescent lighting, knowing it triggered her migraine attacks.

Employment Judge Barrie Clarke said it was “shocking” and an abuse of his position that the chief officer wrote several letters in the name of the then chairman of trustees John Davies without his knowledge.

When Ms Bove lodged a grievance against Mr Gallanders it was not handled properly by the trustees, who merely deferred decisions to the officers.

“They failed in their duties to oversee the conduct of the officers,” the tribunal ruled

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