Lap dance club agrees damages

Mr Singh complained about "obscene" behaviour by lap dancers

A lap dancing club has agreed to pay damages to a former employee after a manager was tape recorded threatening to plant drugs on him if he refused redundancy.

The Spearmint Rhino chain accepted it had treated Johnny Singh, from Crawley in West Sussex, in an "insensitive" manner and admitted he was an "exemplary" employee.

The employment tribunal at Reading was played a tape of Stuart Dobson, general manager at Colnbrook, near Heathrow.

In the recording he allegedly threatened to fire Mr Singh if he found drugs on him.

Mr Dobson was heard to say: "If I want to fire you, I can fire you - all I've got to do is put some drugs in your pocket - it's your word against mine."

They have had their comeuppance and their goose has been cooked Johnny Singh

In another part of the recording Mr Dobson was heard telling Mr Singh he could make it look as though he had attacked him.

The hearing was told the two men had a series of disagreements over uniforms and "obscene" behaviour by lap dancers.

Mr Singh claimed the company was trying to intimidate him after he had tried to highlight "inappropriate behaviour" by dancers.

He claimed unfair dismissal against owners Spearmint Rhino Ventures (UK) and RKW Ltd.

Mr Singh and Simon Warr, the European president of Spearmint Rhino, issued a joint statement saying matters had "been resolved on terms acceptable to them both".

But Mr Singh said afterwards he felt "vindicated" and claimed he had been treated in an "outrageous" manner.

He said: "They threatened to plant drugs on me and call the police. I was terrified.

"But now they have had their comeuppance and their goose has been cooked."