Former Commerzbank Employee's Jail Term Reduced After Appeal
Damilare Ajao, a banker previously employed by German financial giant Commerzbank, has seen his prison sentence significantly reduced by appeal judges. Ajao was originally sentenced to 20 months in jail for contempt of court after making fabricated allegations of sexual harassment and assault against a female manager.
Details of the False Allegations
Working in Commerzbank's client life cycle management team in London during 2019, Ajao claimed that his manager, identified only as "Ms Q," had sexually harassed him. His allegations included assertions that she made flirtatious comments about being able to see his nipples through his shirt and attempted to touch his Gucci belt buckle in the staff canteen.
Following his dismissal in November 2019, Ajao brought an Employment Tribunal claim against the bank, which encompassed accusations of both sexual harassment and sexual assault directed at Ms Q. The case centered on claims that she had made sexualized remarks about a string vest visible beneath his shirt and that he was forced to physically repel her hand when she reached for his designer belt.
Employment Tribunal Findings
Employment Judge Anthony Snelson dismissed Ajao's claim in April 2024, concluding that the allegations of sexual harassment and assault were false and largely fabricated. The judge determined that although there was mention of Ajao's vest, the core accusations were simply untrue.
High Court Proceedings and Initial Sentencing
The matter progressed to the High Court in November, where Commerzbank sought to have Ajao jailed for contempt of court related to his rejected allegations. Mr Justice Martin Spencer presided over the case, finding Ajao guilty on 12 counts of contempt.
Justice Spencer sentenced Ajao to 20 months imprisonment and ordered him to pay £150,000 towards the bank's legal costs. In his ruling, Spencer described Ajao's actions as a deliberate and wicked assault on Ms Q's professional reputation, noting that her testimony was entirely honest and credible.
The judge highlighted numerous discrepancies and inconsistencies in Ajao's evidence, stating there wasn't a shred of truth in any of the allegations against Ms Q. He emphasized that Ajao's claims represented a deliberate attempt to deceive both the tribunal and the court.
Court of Appeal Decision
Yesterday, Court of Appeal judges Lord Justice Lewis and Lord Justice Miles reduced Ajao's sentence to eight months, minus three days already served. The reduction came after consideration of mitigating factors, including the loss of his marriage and his current reliance on Universal Credit following the termination of his finance career.
However, the judges refused to suspend the sentence, criticizing Ajao for showing no remorse and demonstrating no understanding that his actions were wrong. Lord Justice Lewis emphasized that the contempts were very serious, striking at the heart of the administration of justice.
The appeal judges determined that Mr Justice Spencer had applied incorrect sentencing guidelines initially. They concluded that a sentence of approximately 12 months before mitigation would be appropriate, ultimately settling on eight months as the shortest term that could be imposed given the seriousness of the offenses.
Additional Case Details
During the proceedings, the court heard that Ajao had worked at Commerzbank's Gresham Street offices in the City of London from May to November 2019. His allegations suggested that Ms Q had a sexual motive in her interactions with him and became annoyed at his rejection of supposed advances.
Ajao maintained during the contempt trial that it was his perception that he had been victimized, claiming he was not deliberately untruthful. The bank characterized his Employment Tribunal claim as a wholly bogus allegation of sexual assault and harassment.
The appeal judges allowed Ajao's challenge against one of the 12 contempt findings, describing it as a small and essentially trivial part of the allegations that didn't affect the overall sentence length. Following the appeal decision, Ajao was immediately taken to Pentonville Prison to begin serving his reduced sentence.
