Woman working for Scottish gov. taped to chair, gagged to not leak harassment

[Borealis]

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-44222575

A woman who complained of a racist and misogynistic culture in a Scottish government agency claims she was taped to a chair and gagged by two male colleagues as a warning to
keep quiet. DeeAnn Fitzpatrick said the restraint took place amid years of bullying and harassment at Marine Scotland's Scrabster office. The fisheries officer has taken her case to an
employment tribunal. BBC Scotland has obtained a photo of the restraint incident.

Ms Fitzpatrick, a Canadian national, said it happened in 2010 as a result of her blowing the whistle on a threatening and misogynistic culture at Marine Scotland's office in Scrabster,
on the far north Caithness coast.

In evidence to her ongoing tribunal, she said that one of the men involved, fisheries officer Reid Anderson, told her: "This is what you get when you speak out against the boys."

The Scottish government is responsible for Marine Scotland, which is the watchdog for the fisheries and aquaculture industries in Scotland. Rhoda Grant, a Labour MSP for the
Highlands and Islands, has been supporting 49-year-old Ms Fitzpatrick since 2010, when a concerned colleague of the fisheries officer alerted the politician to the alleged treatment.

Ms Grant said: "She's been subject to a long period of harassment, horrendous behaviour towards her. "In some of my dealings with DeeAnn it's very clear that there is a culture in
that office that people can get away with what they say and what they do. "It seems to me that it's out of control."

The BBC has seen emails showing Ms Fitzpatrick tried to raise the alleged attack with one of her managers soon after it happened, but it appears to have not been taken seriously. The
manager said he would have "a word" with the men involved - Reid Anderson and Jody Paske. He added: "I am sure they meant no harm and that was the boys just being boys."

Mr Paske, who no longer works at Marine Scotland, told the BBC that the allegations were "lies". He said: "These are false allegations. I can't remember the event you mention, but if
it did happen, it would have been office banter. Just a craic. Certainly nothing to do with abuse."

In evidence to an employment tribunal against the Scottish government, Ms Fitzpatrick claimed that over a period of almost 10 years she had been subjected to behaviour including:
being mocked about having a miscarriage
being told certain staff at Marine Scotland didn't want "a woman, especially a foreign woman"
extreme racist language
threatening behaviour towards female staff, who were sometimes referred to as prostitutes

BBC Scotland has also seen emails from the Scottish government's HR department threatening disciplinary action against Ms Fitzpatrick while she was at her father's deathbed in
Canada.

[Saint Furrybutt]

I hope if not all SNP and maybe Labour colleagues isn't part this abuse. And suggesting by her words must be Scottish Conservatives, and Scottish Liberal Democrats colleagues.

[Blueleaf]

Oh fuck off.

[dunkace]

What difference would it make which party it was? Its terrible what has happened to her.

[Ravenholme]

It's ScotGov employees anyway, they aren't party affiliated, they're just people who work for the Scottish Government.

This is awful and I hope that an investigation sweeps up the perpetrators and gives them the punishment they deserve.

[sir whoopsalot]

"I am sure they meant no harm and that was the boys just being boys."

bruh

BRUH

[LZTYBRN]

boys being boys

fucking enough of this terrible excuse. It's not "boys being boys", it's men being depraved sociopaths who need to be reevaluated

[Gyroburner]

Scottish government also seems to think its okay to arrest people for telling jokes. Pretty disgraceful.

[Curls]

Haha those silly boys they murdered a woman and cut her into 600 pieces and fed her to her family, boys will be boys xD

[Thelurker1234]

how Manichean do you have to be to think this

[elix]

You get a Canadian woman pissed off hard enough and you discover what she can do with a wood axe. But it's just a joke, man, the axe in the neck is just banter. This is how we joke in Canada. Nothing to do with abuse.

[Jessica Cannon]

. He added: "I am sure they meant no harm and that was the boys just being boys."

So if I punt my steel toecap right between your nadgers, it's just a joke, right, mate? CUNT.

[Mattk50]

The police force is just too underfunded and busy with higher priority tasks like arresting people who make jokes on youtube and people who copy and paste song lyrics on twitter to deal with something as petty "boys being boys" it seems.

/s

[joshthesmith]

You hold them down on a chair and tape them up on it, then shove a gag in their mouth. Yes it's assault

[Peachy]

This is way off topic, but this thread inspired me to a find a video that I've apparently lost.
Anyone have the video of the lanky dude knocking stuff over and then mumbling out 'b-boys will be boys' over and over?

[SKS]

https://youtu.be/YzSVmsrJEzk

[Zonesylvania]

"just a craic"
for god's sake, if I believed tying somebody up and warning them to step off was "just a craic" I would probably hang myself.

[Borealis]

"being mocked about having a miscarriage"

Just want to bring attention to that, pretty fucking heinous.

[Skerious]

Sir, these aren't even fucking school children, they're fully grown government workers.

[Sableye]

I can't even conceive of how one does this shit to someone and can still act like a normal human being, even outgoing to others.

[Instant Mix]

hope they get fired really hard