Saleswoman Jailed for Faking Cancer, Sexual Assault Claims in Tribunals

Louise Gallagher, 50, was jailed at Wood Green Crown Court after admitting to three counts of perverting the course of justice. The judge described her actions as a "prolonged, blatant, and egregious course of conduct, liable to undermine public justice."

Gallagher produced bogus evidence in her claims against distribution giant Bunzl for sex discrimination and health product supplier Essity for unfair dismissal. In both cases, she presented false evidence to support allegations of sexual assault.

This included doctoring a Transport for London (TfL) email to claim that CCTV footage existed showing a colleague sexually assaulting her at Waterloo station, despite TfL confirming no such footage existed. Gallagher also lied directly to a tribunal judge and presented a fictional witness to the police.

When her tribunal against Bunzl began to falter in 2020 and 2021, Gallagher submitted a fake sick note purportedly from a doctor, stating she needed two years off work for cancer treatment. Medical professionals later confirmed the note was not written by the GP named on it.

In 2022 and 2023, Gallagher invented a witness to support a sexual assault allegation in her case against Essity. She provided a false statement to the police, posing as this fabricated witness via email. This led to the accused man being questioned under caution, but police investigation revealed Gallagher had created the email account and phone number for the supposed witness.

The court heard that Gallagher was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020, but the fake sick note claimed the cancer had spread and required extensive treatment. The fabricated letter stated, "Her health must come first and she is currently fighting for her life and this is why we have asked for this case to be postponed for two years."

Gallagher's claim against Bunzl was thrown out, and she was ordered to pay £8,000 in legal costs. Her claim against Essity was struck out after a judge concluded she had "repeatedly provided false evidence." The company stated this claim was made only after Gallagher was investigated for falsifying documents.

Both Bunzl and Essity reported spending tens of thousands of pounds defending against Gallagher's claims and investigating the fabricated evidence. Gallagher has prior fraud convictions from 2014 and 2015 for theft and using stolen bank details.

Gallagher maintains that her sexual assault and harassment allegations were genuine and that she produced the fake evidence out of "desperation to be believed." The Crown Prosecution Service dropped separate charges alleging Gallagher had invented the sexual assault allegations themselves, citing insufficient evidence to meet the criminal test.

At her sentencing, Gallagher presented a character reference from her manager at cleaning company Samsic UK, who described her as a "valued and trusted employee." She will serve one-third of her four-year, eight-month sentence before automatic release.