Nanny loses employment case against Heather Mills
Heather Mills's former nanny has lost her claim of sexual discrimination and constructive dismissal against her. Sara Trumble, 26, claimed Mills reduced her to tears with the demands she placed on her and forced her to work long hours without any extra pay The nanny, who was paid £260 a week by Mills to look after her daughter Beatrice, now six, told an employment tribunal she felt she was a hard-working and loyal employee, but in return her former boss took advantage of her. Ms Trumble, who began working for Mills in April 2004 when she was still married to Sir Paul McCartney, said she handed in her notice in September 2008 after she was relegated to domestic duties after returning from maternity leave. The three-day hearing at Ashford Employment Tribunal Centre in Kent, which began at the end of March, saw Ms Trumble claim compensation for sex and maternity discrimination, plus constructive dismissal. However tribunal judge Steven Vowles dismissed the claims in the judgment, which was reserved until Friday. A spokeswoman for Mills said she was 'delighted' with the result. She said in a statement: "Heather is delighted with the decision of the Employment Tribunal that has dismissed all of Sara Trumble's claims. Heather was always a very fair and generous employer to Sara and is very pleased that this has been confirmed by Judge Vowles and the Tribunal members unanimously in the judgment."
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Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix.
An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.