A DENTAL nurse who fended off a hug and kiss from her boss at an East Lancashire surgery has won a claim for unfair dismissal and sex discrimination.

An employment tribunal has ruled that Colin Cromie, who runs Petre Dental, in Clayton-le-Moors, repeatedly victimised Xara Grogan after she rejected his advances.

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Mr Cromie told Miss Grogan, who had been arguing with her partner Paul Talbot, that they were each with the wrong partners and attempted to hug and kiss her, the tribunal heard.

Before their relationship soured, the tribunal was told, he would share ‘sexist’ jokes with her via texts and on one occasion offered to take her to Barcelona.

The dentist, who also used to practice in Barnoldswick, became ‘increasingly hostile’ towards her after she turned him down, treating her to ‘extended silences and outbursts’, according to the tribunal’s official ruling.

Miss Grogan succeeded in a claim for constructive dismissal, and partially in claims for sexual harassment and victimisation.

Further harassment allegations and victimisation claims did not succeed and the tribunal decided that an alternative charge of direct discrimination was already covered by the sexual harassment case.

Mr Cromie, a former major in the Royal Army Dental Corps, is a former Ribble area secretary of the British Dental Association and ex-chairman of the East Lancashire Local Dental Committee.

Referring to the ‘kiss’ in her judgement, Employment Judge Katherine Ross said: “Mr Cromie absolutely denied the allegation. The claimant said it occurred. The tribunal finds that the incident occurred.”

The tribunal was told that the incident was relayed to fellow dental nurse Louise Clail, shortly after it occurred, and she had confirmed this was correct in a statement.

Judge Ross added: “We find although there had been a high degree of familiarity between Mr Cromie and the claimant, based on her position in the extended family, their close working relationship and the sexual language which passed between them, attempting to kiss the claimant was an action which was physical and sexual and therefore different to anything which had gone before.”

The judge and two lay members decided that Miss Grogan’s dismissal was unfair and Mr Cromie’s conduct amounted to sex discrimination. She has been awarded a financial settlement from Clayton Projects Ltd, which trades as Petre Dental.

Some of the incidents complained about included Mr Cromie working in cold conditions with the window open - and when Miss Grogan complained about having to wear a uniform including culottes he told her she would be ‘out on her ear’ if she joined a union.

Another occasion saw her reprimanded for not setting up the practice’s reception - when a colleague who arrived late got away scot-free.

And when Miss Grogan was helping a dental technician to organise a quote for dentures, Mr Cromie shouted at her and told her she should ‘know her place’, the tribunal heard. He would also snatch instruments from her in the surgery and be ‘abrupt and rude’.

Miss Grogan had worked for Mr Cromie in two spells, initially when he traded as Cromie Associates, in Accrington Road, Blackburn, and then when he formed Petre Dental, from around October 2008.

Until around March 2008, Miss Grogan and Mr Talbot, who is Mr Cromie’s stepson, had lived with the dentist and his wife.

Mr Talbot’s mother, Diane Cromie, was the practice manager at Petre Dental, with whom Miss Grogan initially lodged a complaint.

Her career with Petre Dental came to an end after Miss Grogan was blamed for a falling-out with another practice.

Mr Cromie had been away on a course when Miss Grogan was asked to arrange emergency dental care with another surgery, Clough and Joshi.

Later a dental nurse at Clough and Joshi complained about Miss Grogan’s manner and Mr Cromie insisted that she should write a letter of apology.

But the tribunal found that the incident was a ‘storm in a teacup’ which Mr Cromie could have dealt with himself, as head of the practice.

Miss Grogan eventually resigned from the Petre Court practice in September 2013, frustrated by the fact her grievances had not been dealt with, and that she was being subjected to disciplinary proceedings.

She was not available for comment after the hearing but said via social media that the case had represented ‘a tough couple of years’ and she was looking forward to moving on.

Speaking after the case, Mr Cromie said that Miss Grogan had only succeeded in ‘two out of six’ claims and this was reflected in the ‘modest’ payout she had received. He claimed she had only received £1,500 for the constructive dismissal, £15,000 for ‘hurt feelings’ and back pay she was owed.