Racist bullies who tormented a Sikh salesman so badly he is unlikely ever to work again kept their jobs - and one of them has even been promoted. John Cleary, 51, Stuart Smith, 45, and Glynn Smith, 41, were found by a tribunal to have subjected 36-year-old colleague Kieran Sidhu to a sustained campaign of vile racist abuse when they worked together at tech giant Exertis in Chineham. British-born Mr Sidhu endured being branded an “Arab shoe bomber”, the “only ethnic on the team” and a “temperamental Syrian immigrant” who was “f ing for ISIS”. The tribunal found that the sales team would sing to the tune of football chant Que Sera Sera: ‘Sidhu, Sidhu, he works at O2. Sidhu, Sidhu, he’s an Arab too and he’s got a bomb in his shoe.’
By Gazette Reporter & Tim Stewart
John Cleary, 51, Stuart Smith, 45, and Glynn Smith, 41, were found by a tribunal to have bullied 36-year-old colleague Kieran Sidhu when they worked together at tech giant Exertis in Chineham The Exertis employees who made a saleman s life a misery through a sustained campaign of racist abuse have now left the Basingstoke company. John Cleary, 51, Stuart Smith, 45, and Glynn Smith, 41, were found by a tribunal to have bullied 36-year-old colleague Kieran Sidhu when they worked together at tech giant Exertis in Chineham. British-born Mr Sidhu endured being branded an “Arab shoe bomber”, the “only ethnic on the team” and a “temperamental Syrian immigrant” who was “f ing for ISIS”.
The tribunal found that three former Exertis staff - Glynn Smith, Stuart Smith and John Clearly - hurled racial insults at Sidhu, labelling him an Arab shoebomber a temperamental Syrian immigrant who was f ing for ISIS as well as the only ethnic on the team .
Sidhu has suffered lasting psychological damage and may never work again, according to a psychiatrist who assessed him. He is now seeking more than £6.6m in damages for lost earnings and injury to feelings which would be a record in the UK, far exceeding the £4.7m from the Royal Bank of Scotland last year
Paul Lipscombe
Ex-employee accused distributor of encouraging a culture of racist harassment
Exertis may have to pay £6.6 million to former employee Kieran Sidhu who has won a case against the Basingstoke IT and mobile distributor for racial discrimination, harassment, constructive dismissal, and breach of contract.
If successful it will be the biggest award ever granted by an Industrial Tribunal will dwarfing the current highest award of £4.7 million for a similar case against the Royal Bank of Scotland.
The case was heard in 2019 but the 50,475-word judgement was delayed due to the pandemic and released on May 19.
A Remedial Hearing is scheduled for July 21 to decide the award and will consider medical reports from Sidhu’s doctors, Exertis’ doctors and expert witnesses. A decision on the size of the payout will follow around two months later.