A senior barrister who sued the Crown Prosecution Service for harassment after a colleague asked him to stop breaking wind has had his claim thrown out. Tarique Mohammed, a senior prosecutor in the Thames Valley area, said his flatulence was caused by medication for a heart condition.
An employment tribunal in Reading heard that Mohammed shared a small office with another prosecutor, Paul McGorry, in 2016. McGorry noticed repeated incidents of flatulence and asked Mohammed if he could step outside, but Mohammed said he could not. The tribunal found this was a reasonable request given the office size and the repetitive nature of the flatulence.
Mohammed also accused colleagues of disability discrimination by throwing away his water bottles, asking him to work 60 miles away, and failing to pay for his practising certificate while on sick leave. The tribunal threw out claims of disability-related harassment and victimisation.
However, the tribunal found the CPS guilty of disability discrimination and failing to make reasonable adjustments by not allowing Mohammed to work from home two days a week, leave work at 4pm, and by removing him from court duties. The hearing concluded that the CPS had not accommodated his condition adequately.
