Spy wins compensation in sex case

Cpl Leah Mates had made 43 allegations of discrimination

A female special forces spy has been awarded £12,000 in compensation after winning part of a sexual discrimination case against the Army.

Cpl Leah Mates, of Calne, Wiltshire, had claimed £686,000.

She made 43 allegations, spanning her 10-year service career beginning in September 1995.

An Employment Tribunal ruled she had proved 12 allegations and awarded compensation for six. The Ministry of Defence had contested the claims.

The majority of her complaints relate to Cpl Mates' time in the Signal Regiment of the Army's 3 Division, which she joined in April 1997.

Allegations relating to her time with Special Forces in Northern Ireland were heard in secret at the end of the case.

'Quite pleased'

Cpl Mates' legal representative William Mackenzie said: "Obviously we were hoping to come home on more points than we did...

"(But) we were quite pleased with the level of compensation awarded and we hope the Army will learn the lessons that should have been learnt long ago."

The successful claims related to Cpl Mates' face being placed on a shooting target in Northern Ireland, as well as for insulting graffiti, including phrases such as "Leah's a dog", scratched on guard posts and desks.

Another successful compensation claim was for a colleague attempting to prevent Cpl Mates from attending a rounders competition.

Although a further six claims had been proved, they were before the March 2001 time limit imposed by the Employment Tribunal and no compensation could be paid for them.

These allegations were that in 1999 - while on deployment in Kosovo as part of the Signal Regiment of 3 Division - a male soldier masturbated and said her name in a tent shared with her and about seven other male soldiers, Mr Williams said.

The soldier, Cpl Stewart Milligan, at the tribunal, denied the alleged sex act, claiming it had been an immature joke.

The other claims included allegations that the soldier also touched her inappropriately as she entered a vehicle in Kosovo and that comments about the size of her breasts were made by her fellow soldiers.

There is no place for sexual harassment or bullying of any sort in the armed forces Ministry of Defence

She also successfully proved that an internal Army letter was read out in the sergeants' mess at Bulford Camp in Wiltshire, while Cpl Mates was in Kosovo, which stated it had been proved that she was not a lesbian.

The final successful claim was that female toilets used by Cpl Mates had had clingfilm placed over them.

The Ministry of Defence says it is considering the implications of the judgement to see what lessons can be learned.

Equal opportunities

A spokesman said the armed forces took all complaints of harassment and discrimination seriously.

All such allegations were investigated thoroughly and, where proven, appropriate action would be taken, he added.

"There is no place for sexual harassment or bullying of any sort in the armed forces, and we are committed at the highest levels of leadership to dealing with it.

"A great deal of work has been done over many years to tackle inappropriate behaviour, and we actively promote equal opportunities for all our personnel."