A Conservative club worker lost a claim of sex harassment after a tribunal found she forced unwilling colleagues to look at nude pictures of herself and her partner.
Andrea Evans sued Timperley Conservative and Social Club after she was fired last year for an altercation with a male customer, whom she accused of sexually harassing her.
But a tribunal heard that Ms Evans had shown ‘full frontal’ naked images of herself and manager Mark Gleaves to colleagues and club members because she was ‘proud’ of them.
Now a judge has concluded that, because Ms Evans had ‘discussed her sex life’ in the workplace and ‘pressurised’ colleagues into looking at her nudes, her ‘dignity’ could not have been ‘violated’.
Dismissing her claims, Employment Judge Rebecca Eeley said that even if the male customer had carried out the conduct she alleged, it would have been ‘water off a duck’s back’ to her.
The tribunal, held in Manchester, heard Ms Evans was hired by Timperley Conservative and Social Club in August 2022 but had worked at the bar for several years in the past.
Later that year, her marriage ended and soon after, Ms Evans began a personal relationship with her bar manager, Mr Gleaves.
The judge said that, in February 2023, the couple went on a trip away together.
Andrea Evans sued Timperley Conservative and Social Club after she was fired last year for an altercation with a male customer, whom she accused of sexually harassing her
A tribunal heard that Ms Evans had shown ‘full frontal’ naked images of herself and manager Mark Gleaves (pictured) to colleagues and club members because she was ‘proud’ of them
‘During this holiday various photos were taken and stored on the [Ms Evans’] phone,’ she continued.
‘These included photographs of them in a pool, apparently nude, and full frontal nude images of [Ms Evans] and Mr Gleaves.
‘Upon [Ms Evans’] return from the holiday she showed these photos to people in the workplace.’
The tribunal said these naked images were shown to both colleagues and club members at the venue and concluded that she had ‘actively pushed or encouraged’ others to look at them.
The judge said: ‘The Tribunal concluded that [Ms Evans] was proud of the relationship and proud of the photos and wanted them to be viewed by others in the workplace.
‘She perceived this as giving her an increased status within the workplace.’
One member of the bar staff said she was ‘forced to view images unwillingly’ and there was even evidence that they felt ‘distressed’ at what they saw.
It was heard that on March 3, 2023, a customer called Wayne Ninian – who was regarded as an ‘absolute gentleman’ and was ‘well thought of’ by staff – asked Mr Gleaves to change his glass as he had a flat pint.
A witness described Mr Gleaves being in ‘quite a rage’ at the request and it was heard he took hold of the glass and threw it onto a shelf.
The following day, a row ensued when Mr Ninian asked Ms Evans for cash back from the bar, which allegedly saw her go ‘berserk’ and shout: ‘F***ing come outside and I’ll f***ing batter you’.
Ms Evans was subsequently fired and took the club to the tribunal, alleging she was subjected to a pattern of abusive and inappropriate conduct including sex harassment and swearing from Mr Ninian.
But the judge concluded: ‘All the evidence indicates that [Ms Evans’] was not affected in this way by this sort of language and/or conduct. If she had been on the receiving end of such behaviour it would, to coin a phrase, have been ‘water off a duck’s back’.
‘[Ms Evans] used this sort of language frequently in the workplace herself and was not, apparently, in the least bit perturbed by it.
‘She also threatened violence to Mr Ninian.
‘In addition, she discussed her sex life in the workplace and pressured colleagues and club members to look at explicit photos of her and her partner (who was also her colleagues’ line manager.)
‘The Tribunal cannot accept that she was able and willing to act in this way at work but would still have found her dignity to be violated or would have felt that her environment at work was intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive if Mr Ninian had acted towards her in the way that she alleges.’
All claims made by Ms Evans were dismissed.
Ms Evans told the Mail: ‘I went to tribunal with my complaint where I told the truth, others didn’t. I’m extremely disappointed by the judgement. I just want to put it all behind me now and try to get on with my life.’
