Company receives increased fines for ignoring complaints

A Southampton businessman has been deemed liable by default judgement for a woman's £40,000 unpaid wages and sexual discrimination claim, after it emerged he and his company had ignored her initial claims and complaints.

Jonathan Fulthorpe and his company, the holdings firm Asturius Europe, were ordered by an employment tribunal in Southampton to pay the sum, which covered lost work and expenses, to former employee Jenny Heal.

The case stemmed from the summer of 2008 when Mr Fulthorpe was looking to buy Southampton Football Club. Ms Heal was taken on as a £60,000-a-year personal assistant by Austurius Hospitality, a subsidiary of Mr Fulthorpe's firm incorporated as part of the bid to buy the club. She was told to keep note of her hours and that she would be paid when he eventually set up a payroll for the small staff of the company.

Within months, however, the bid fell through, prompting Ms Heal's immediate boss to quit and her work to be cut to just one day a week. She was also accused by a senior member of staff of originally getting her job by sleeping with her boss – which she said was simply incorrect.

She spoke to Mr Fulthorpe about it but was ignored, as were letters of grievance. The ignoring of these complaints made Mr Fulthorpe liable for them by default judgement.

For unpaid wages he was ordered to pay £37,411.80 – raised by 25 per cent for ignoring initial complaints. He was also ordered to pay £3,000 for failing to act over the sexual discrimination claim.