Ian Younger's newest comments

If you look at the report Jane Blacklock referred to, it says

A spokesman for Wandsworth Council said: "We're delighted that the tribunal has found in our favour, supported the common sense and wholly reasonable way we handled this case and rejected the totally spurious and misleading claims that were made against us."

It is clear from this that there is certainly much more to the story than has been widely reported. If it really was a simple matter of a few kindly and supportive words being offered then a 'common sense and wholly reasonable' response would obviously not be to sack the employee. If his unfair dismissal claim was indeed 'spurious and misleading' then it is obvious that a lot more went on than has been reported.

The BBC report suggests that he subjected the woman to a '30-minute barrage' of his personal beliefs, including a view that she should not bother with doctors. I have read other reports that suggest he was aggressive and judgmental, suggesting that the woman's illness was the result of her sinfulness and refusal to believe in God. This is not what one would expect from a professional adviser when attending an appointment to discuss your housing situation. I think we would all agree that if THIS is an accurate representation of the behaviour then it clearly was inappropriate and DID constitute gross misconduct.

I would be very interested to read the transcript of the judgment to see the full facts that were presented at tribunal.