Tribunal rejects last-minute witness in Dragon School sacking tribunal (From Oxford Mail)

Tribunal rejects last-minute witness in Dragon School sacking tribunal

10:20am Friday 3rd February 2012 in News

EVIDENCE from an 11th-hour witness who said she saw bullying at an Oxford prep school which is being sued for racism, was rejected by a tribunal judge.

Father-of-two Gazmir Dema, 30, claimed he was labelled an “Albanian terrorist” by staff at the Dragon School, whose former pupils include Hugh Laurie, Emma Watson and Tim Henman.

As the hearing into Mr Dema’s sacking reached its conclusion yesterday, a former colleague came forward to claim she had witnessed bullying by the school’s catering manager and his wife, Chris and Christine Palmer.

Kelly Thomas-Allen, the school’s former functions co-ordinator, said she wanted to help Mr Dema and claimed she too had been bullied by the pair.

Her intervention was blocked after an employment tribunal judge ruled the allegations of widespread bullying undermined Mr Dema’s allegations of racism, and could damage his case.

Rachel Gransnow, representing the Bardwell Road school, said Mr Dema’s initial complaints were about the way he was sacked on February 15, 2010, and not about racism.

The school has claimed that it was only after a change in shift pattern that problems started to arise with Mr Dema, of Market Street, Charlbury.

The hearing was adjourned, with a written judgement to be released in the coming weeks.