A female police officer claims she was left “in a constant state of worry and paranoia” after making a bullying claim against a fellow officer. Karen Harper, who served as an officer for 22 years, was probed by Police Scotland over a criminal complaint after making the bullying claims.
The ex-cop, from Dumfries, retired through ill health in 2017 and launched a sex discrimination claim against Police Scotland - which was partially upheld.
Yesterday, lawyers for both Karen and Police Scotland were called in to a hearing to decide how much compensation she should be awarded. Her Lawyer Mark Allison said she suffered anxiety after learning that colleagues began investigating her in a covert probe shortly after she lodged her bullying complaint.
She was off duty when she was said to have shouted at a youngster after getting involved in a row between him and her ten-year-old son. The investigation saw fellow officers visiting 15 of her neighbours to ask about her. Her ex-husband was also asked if he wished to make a criminal complaint about her.
The lawyer told yesterday’s hearing the events left her “living in genuine fear” and worried they would “accuse her of crimes”. He added: “She was living in a constant state of worry and paranoia as a result of the respondent’s conduct”. He also told the hearing that she developed post traumatic stress disorder and her time in the force had “contributed to the ill health”.
Graham Mitchell, representing Police Scotland, said that one expert had said Ms Harper had developed PTSD earlier than her lawyer argued. He said this was before she had made the bullying complaint, was investigated by colleagues or found out about their probe.
At the end of the hearing, employment tribunal judge Mark Whitcombe said he would reach a decision on compensation next week. At an earlier hearing the tribunal found Parker had been victimised by her boss Sergeant Doug Bell because she lodged a bullying complaint against him.
Parker said she was bullied after requesting flexible working hours following the death of her mother. She complained about Sergeant Bell in March 2015. He passed-on potentially damaging information about her “in retaliation” after she alerted bosses to his conduct, the tribunal heard.
But the tribunal rejected her allegation that her bullying complaint was also the reason she was targeted in the extensive criminal investigation. In his original judgment in February 2020, Judge Whitcombe said it was “purely coincidental” that the investigation into Ms Harper was launched two weeks after she lodged her bullying complaint in 2015.
Two weeks later a neighbour made a criminal complaint about her over claims she shouted at a child. But she was not told about the complaint and was never asked for her side of the story. She later learned police inspectors had approached her ex-husband, a former police sergeant, and her neighbours.
Her husband said the officers had tried to “solicit a complaint” about her from him. A hearing was set for next week to further consider compensation for Parker’s successful sexual discrimination claim.
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