Pagan witch wins discrimination case

A Pagan witch has won a religious discrimination case and has been awarded more than £15,000 in what is believed to be the first successful claim of its kind in Britain.

Her Sikh bosses insisted they fired her after they caught her stealing. However, she was only accused of stealing and subsequently fired after they had discovered she was a Pagan witch.

At the time, her employers gave her £204.76 as two weeks wages but no redundancy payment and barred her from returning to the store.

Mrs Holland took them to court, claiming unfair dismissal, sex discrimination and religious discrimination.

She was awarded £15,337.12 in total, including £6,145.44 for unfair dismissal and £9,000 plus £95.84 interest for both of the other charges.

The employment tribunal found that the way she was dismissed was ‘indefensible’ and breached ‘the basics of natural justice’.

The ruling stated: ‘She described him [her boss] as seeming revolted by the idea that she was a Wiccan and was made to feel that there was something wrong with her.”

If you’ve been discriminated against due to religion or belief, please contact Ashley Hunt, Vaishali Thakerar or Carrie-Ann Randall at Lawson-West on 0116 212 1000.

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