‘Bully’ ban stopped lawyer contacting chief constable outside work hours, hearing told

A chief constable accused of bullying suggested his predecessor lied over claims she was unaware of restrictions preventing the force’s lawyer from contacting her.

Northumbria Police’s Steve Ashman authorised a list of “boundaries” for how the head of legal services, Denise Aubrey could communicate with the then chief constable, Sue Sim, an employment tribunal was told.

Ms Aubrey, 54, was banned from messaging or phoning her outside of working hours, and told to seek out Mrs Sim only through Mr Ashman, who was the deputy chief constable at the time.

Mr Ashman took to the stand as the tribunal into the legality of Miss Aubrey’s dismissal from Northumbria Police headed into its fourth week.

Her employment ended in 2014, after being accused of gossiping about confidential information regarding affairs between high-ranking police officers.

Ms Aubrey — who spent more than 20 years working for the force — is claiming for wrongful dismissal, on the grounds of “sex discrimination, disability discrimination and harassment”. She earlier accused Mr Ashman of bullying her.

The tribunal heard Ms Aubrey approached Mr Ashman in April 2013, soon after he had been promoted to deputy chief constable, to request a pay rise after speaking with her solicitor.

Mr Ashman told the hearing that in a “different part” of the same conversation, Ms Aubrey made “thinly veiled threats” to the force, based on confidential information she was privy to.

Daphne Romnney QC, representing Ms Aubrey, challenged Mr Ashman, asking him if he found the lawyer’s demands for pay-parity between men and women as “offensive”.

He replied: “I do not regard any of it as offensive. I regarded it as extraordinary to ask me to speak to her solicitor, and to be regraded and compensated for advice she had sought.”

Earlier in the hearing, Mr Ashman said: “I’ve never, ever managed somebody who — in my first dealings with her — was asking me to speak to a solicitor and asking me to consider regrading her and compensating her financially for any expenses she incurred with that solicitor.

“I think it’s bizarre.”

Mr Ashman revealed his early meetings with Ms Aubrey set off “alarm bells” with him, and he kept a notebook of their conversations — something he has only done for “less than a handful” of colleagues throughout his career.

Ms Romney asked Mr Ashman about allegations he bullied Ms Aubrey.

He said: “I’ve never, in 29 years of service and 24 as a manager, ever been accused of the sort of behaviour I’ve been accused of in this hearing.

“I’m left with the question of how on earth I’ve suddenly become this monster overnight?”

The communications ban on Miss Aubrey contacting Mrs Sim led Ms Romney to remind Mr Ashman that the former chief constable gave evidence stating she “knew nothing” of these restrictions.

Mr Ashman replied: “She [Mrs Sim] is wrong, most definitely.

“It’s simply not imaginable that Mrs Sim did not know every single part of my handling of Ms Aubrey, every single step of the way.

“It’s inconceivable to suggest otherwise — it truly is.”

Ms Romney asked if Mrs Sim had “deliberately misled” the tribunal when she denied knowing about Mr Ashman’s instructions.

He said: “Whether she deliberately misled this tribunal is not something I would comment on one way or the other.

“The then chief constable absolutely knew the boundaries in place regarding Ms Aubrey. I’ve no doubt of that.”

The tribunal earlier heard claims from Ms Aubrey that the physical effects of being bullied by Mr Ashman “frequently caused me to experience disorientation, dizziness, hot and cold sweats, headaches, fainting, physical vomiting, palpitating heartbeats, lack of breath, seizures and pains in my chest”.

The hearing has aired scandalous claims involving affairs, harassment, bullying, corruption and a former chief constable, Mike Craik, being given a black eye at a barbecue for his alleged affair with a chief superintendent’s wife — an assistant chief constable.

It is also claimed Mr Craik authorised the incident