A facilities manager has been awarded £119,000 in compensation after being unfairly dismissed from his role at Edenbeck Ltd. Chris Tweedie was accused by senior management of signing up for a 'cougar dating' website using his company email and was sacked for gross misconduct.
The tribunal heard that the accusations stemmed from emails received by Mr. Tweedie's work inbox offering "cheap sex dates" and an alleged profile picture on the website Hot Cougar Dates featuring a "selfie" with a bare shoulder. These emails were presented in a December 2024 meeting as evidence of misuse of company computer and email facilities.
However, Mr. Tweedie contended that his dismissal was a result of a power struggle within Edenbeck Ltd between the company's father-and-son directors, Stuart and Chris Mayall. He claimed he was "victimised" after aligning himself with Chris Mayall, the son, and that the dating site emails were part of a broader effort to remove him from the business. Mr. Tweedie had been offered the role of Director of Operations by Stuart Mayall in July 2024, contingent on Stuart gaining control of the company. Subsequently, Mr. Tweedie began attending meetings with Chris Mayall and ceased taking orders from Stuart Mayall, who reportedly branded him a "maverick."
Mr. Tweedie was suspended in October 2024 for alleged conduct breaches. During subsequent meetings, further claims were made that he argued were not properly investigated. He denied any knowledge of the dating websites, noting that the emails arrived after his suspension, and questioned why he would sign up for such sites knowing others had access to his account. The tribunal found that the investigation was not conducted properly. Specifically, the investigating officer did not ascertain who else had access to Mr. Tweedie's account or investigate whether he could have been signed up without his permission. The tribunal also noted that the emails were received while Mr. Tweedie was suspended, and no consideration was given to the possibility that the profile picture was publicly available and could have been used without his consent.
Employment Judge Rebecca Tuck KC ruled that while Stuart Mayall genuinely believed Mr. Tweedie had subscribed to the websites, this belief was not based on a reasonable investigation. Mr. Tweedie was summarily dismissed on December 20, 2024, with the reasons cited including "IT misuse" and "lying in his denials."
Mr. Tweedie chose to pursue his claim at an employment tribunal in Watford rather than initiating an internal appeal process, which he believed would be biased against him. The total award includes a compensatory award of £112,271.16, a basic award of £5,250, and £1,727.24 for holiday pay, to be paid by Edenbeck Ltd. Mr. Tweedie had worked for Edenbeck Ltd, a company providing asbestos removal and facilities management services for government sites, since 2019.