Brit boss 'spanks staff, asks them to grab genitals'

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London: A Brit sales manager allegedly chased a female colleague around the office, put her across his knee and spanked her as and even encouraged other women to grab his genitals.

Peter Smith looked at sex toys and blow up dolls on the Internet, an employment tribunal was told.

Smith and some of his colleagues are accused of bullying and harassing former sales executive Angelina Ashby, from Chesterfield, who worked for a marine supplies firm.

The 40-year-old told the Sheffield tribunal she was ostracised by staff for two years who teased her, talked about her in derogatory way, sent emails about and excluded her from office banter.

She also claimed they drew insulting cartoons about her weight which drove her to taking anti-depressants. Ashby started working for the firm in June 2003 as a sales executive for Cathelco.

She said problems began in September 2006 when Smith became her sales manager.

"I was subjected to a continuous course of mistreatment.

"A few days after my formal grievance was submitted Laura Holland, a sales administrator was chased round the office by Pete Smith, who then proceeded to put her over his knee and spank her," the Daily Mail quoted her as saying.

"Peter Smith would often make me feel uncomfortable. On one occasion he took his time to view sex toys, such as blow up dolls on the internet.

"He was more than aware I could see his screen as I sat directly behind and seemed to take his time viewing the website," said Ashby.

She added: "Pete Smith also used to sit female staff on his knee and stroke their hair and he would stand behind their chairs to do the same. I found it disconcerting and uncomfortable."