A SALESWOMAN has claimed her colleague offered her up for a “midget throwing” contest at a boozy Christmas party due to her 4ft 11in height.
Gill Parkinson, 51, also alleged she was groped and subjected to disgusting verbal abuse at the do in Newcastle.
The saleswoman, who worked for Yell Sales Limited, accused one co-worker of discussing raping a staff member at his child’s nursery, an employment tribunal heard.
Ms Parkinson further claimed another colleague said he wanted to charge customers in the bar to throw her around “like they do with midgets”, as reported by the Daily Mail.
During more alleged derogatory conversation, a staff member asked her how much disability she claims a month because “she’s a dwarf”.
In the same incident, he was accused of asking about Ms Parkinson’s sex life because her husband is 6ft 3in.
And, Ms Parkinson claimed she was touched sexually and inappropriately at the party, on December 15, 2022.
She reported the alleged incidents on December 21 and an internal Yell investigation held up some of her complaints.
In March 2023 she told bosses she wouldn’t appeal their findings but in September that year Ms Parkinson made more allegations against one of the men.
However, she failed to meet the deadline to file necessary paperwork after going on a holiday to the United States.
Ms Parkinson had a three-month window but was travelling around Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon and San Francisco.
She claimed at the tribunal it wasn’t a holiday, but rather an opportunity to recover from her alleged abuse with family.
Ms Parkinson ultimately resigned in October and told the tribunal her alleged ordeal saw her attempt suicide in early 2024.
But the tribunal heard no medical evidence to support her account of mental health struggles.
Judge Anderson also said they were not a sufficient explanation for failing to fill out the necessary appeal paperwork.
He said he had “genuine sympathy” for Ms Parkinson but ruled the case could not proceed because she had missed the deadline.
