A WOMAN who claimed her promotion at Oxford University was hampered after she sued for sexual discrimination has lost her legal battle against the institution and one of its professors.

Cecile Deer lost a February 2010 employment tribunal which alleged she did not get the junior research fellowship at Merton College in 2008 because of the earlier sex discrimination case.

Ms Deer, then lecturing in French at Balliol College, had that year alleged she was left out of the university’s football team in 2007 because she was a mother.

Prof Geoffrey Walford, Emeritus Professor of Education Policy, refused her a reference for the research post because he said it was too late in her career to apply and because of gaps on her CV.

But she said the refusal was related to the football sex discrimination case, for which she reached an out-of-court settlement in 2008.

She alleged the university mishandled this complaint.

Mr Justice Underhill, sitting at the Employment Appeal Tribunal in London, upheld the February 2010 decision, handed down by Reading Employment Tribunal.

He rejected Ms Deer’s claims that the tribunal failed to deal with her claim properly and that she should not have to pay legal costs.

Mr Justice Underhill said: “There was no evidence to support her belief and also that it was inherently implausible that Prof Walford, whose previous relations with the appellant had been perfectly friendly, should have conspired to do her down and then to lie about it.”

The claim was “implausible speculation” he said and ordered she pay the professor’s and university’s legal costs.

He said: “Sadly, by reasons of her own actions, (she) will leave this tribunal with her reputation tarnished.”