An employment tribunal judge made a decisive ruling in favor of a woman who was fired from her job at an ambulance trust after her wife assaulted their boss. The judge succinctly summed up the case with two impactful words while delivering the verdict.
Stacey Smith, a former employee at the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS), was convicted in October 2024 for attempting to murder her and her wife Paula Smith’s manager, Michala Morton, in November of the preceding year during a dispute over scheduling. Stacey received a 25-year prison sentence for a brutal hammer attack on Ms. Morton.
Following investigations, it was determined that Paula had been unfairly dismissed by her employer due to her relationship with her wife. Despite being arrested on suspicion of harassment and making threats against the manager, Paula was cleared of any wrongdoing by the police in April 2024. She was informed via email from Greater Manchester Police that no further action would be taken against her, and her bail conditions were lifted.
During the tribunal, it was revealed that Paula, who had separated from Stacey, had no prior knowledge of the assault and only learned about it after Stacey’s arrest. However, she was terminated from her job by her employers three weeks after the police closed the case.
A verdict was reached, stating that the 56-year-old was wrongfully dismissed, entitling her to a £14,000 compensation following a thorough review of her connection to her spouse’s criminal actions. Employment Judge Paul Holmes emphasized that Paula’s only link to the incident was her marital status with Stacey Smith, questioning the significance of her arrest in relation to her employment.
Judge Holmes pointed out that the trust overly focused on Paula’s arrest and bail conditions, which had not been publicized. He highlighted that any potential association between Paula and the violent act committed by her wife was unlikely to pose a risk to patients or the public, emphasizing the lack of relevance in the dismissal decision.