Prison officer wins employment tribunal

An employment tribunal has found in favour of a female former prison officer who claims she was bullied at her place of work for being attractive.

Amitjo Kajla, 22, was previously employed at Brinsford Young Offenders’ Institution near Wolverhampton and said she was bullied for the way she dressed, wearing makeup and waving at inmates.

She also won claims for age and sex discrimination against HM Prison Service.

Ms Kajla told the tribunal that she was unfairly dismissed from her position in April 2008 and that she was seen as a weak person who could be bullied.

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“All I ever did was try to uphold the HMPS purpose statement, which clearly states that their duty is to ‘look after prisoners with humanity’ and I sought to apply that in my work by treating prisoners with respect,” she said.

However, she added that one officer was not in favour of her approach.

The news comes after John Wooster, 52, formerly employed by Tower Hamlets council in East London, was reported to be set to receive a £1 million payout after winning an age discrimination case.