A Catholic firearms officer has won nearly £44,000 in a religious harassment case after ‘f*** the Pope’ was written on his work coffee mug.
Police officer Paul McCue discovered the message engraved on the bottom of his Celtic Football Club mug and was so upset he had to go home.
The officer – part of a unit dedicated to protecting nuclear sites – had previously been “harassed” by colleagues who wrote comments about the loyalist paramilitary group the Ulster Defense Association, an employment tribunal has heard.
Told at the Glasgow hearing that there was a history of ‘religious tension’ within the Civil Nuclear Constabulary unit where Sergeant McCue worked, requiring the Corps to conduct investigations and training following allegations of sectarianism.
Police officer Paul McCue discovered the words written on the bottom of his Celtic Football Club cup (stock image) and was so upset he had to go home from work
Now the officer – who has been out for more than a year – has received £43,981 in compensation after successfully suing the force, which protects Britain’s nuclear sites.
The firearms officer was responsible for managing a squad of officers at Hunterston B Power Station on the west coast of Scotland after joining the force in 2007.
Sergeant McCue, a Roman Catholic, had previously argued with colleagues he thought were Protestants on nights out, the Glasgow tribunal heard.
But in June 2020, he was upset when he found a note in his mailbox that read ‘UDA no surrender’.
A few weeks later, in August 2020, his wife discovered another note with the same words on it in his work jacket.
Sergeant McCue reported the notes and a ‘critical incident’ was declared by his bosses – with Scotland Police even launching an investigation and examining them for fingerprints.
The officer was on sick leave for two months because his mental health was ‘not great’, while the nuclear police launched a new equality policy and Police Scotland closed their investigation due to lack of evidence.
At the hearing, it was said that there was a history of “religious tension” within the Civil Nuclear Constabulary unit where Sgt. allegations of sectarianism
In June 2021, after returning to his £42,000 a year job, Sergeant McCue was targeted for a third time.
A tribunal report said: “Sergeant McCue discovered that the letters ‘FTP'” were recently written on the bottom of his mug in the kitchen, after being away from the unit the previous week.
“He reported the incident to Police Scotland. FTP was short for ”f*** the Pope”. The mug he used referred to Celtic Football Club.
“The ink hadn’t completely dried yet, suggesting it was written relatively recently. The mug was stored in the kitchen cabinet which was unlocked.
“The mug was not in its usual place in the cupboard and had been moved to the cupboard of his department where it was.
Sergeant McCue reported the incident to a fellow sergeant who was nearby. He was upset and had to go home… He couldn’t continue working that day and started a period of sick leave due to work stress.
“Sergeant McCue stated he would inform Police Scotland as a hate crime.”
Sergeant McCue later received therapy following the incidents, it was learned. He thought he was being targeted by one colleague in particular “and his cronies.”
An internal health and safety investigation found unknown colleague or colleagues “disliked him based on his religion and using bigoted/sectarian expressions or acronyms to target him, knowing this will cause him distress/sanity.”
But it found there were “no widespread problems of sectarianism.” It found “there were obviously some personal animosities and the occasional accusations and counter-accusations, but no more.”
Group training sessions were held, with some suggesting ‘this is normal chatter’.
At the tribunal, Employment Judge David Hoey ruled that Sergeant McCue was harassed on grounds of religion over the mug incident, as no steps were followed that could have prevented it following the previous two incidents.
The officer Sergeant McCue accused of carrying out the attacks was never interviewed and no ‘tailor-made’ training was given within six months.
Sgt McCue’s religious harassment claim at Glasgow Employment Tribunal Court (pictured) over the mug incident succeeded because ‘reasonable steps’, including conducting a formal investigation, were not taken
Judge Hoey said: ‘The Tribunal considered that there had been religious tension between certain colleagues.
It was clear, as the author of the health and safety report noted, that there was at least one person or persons who disliked Sergeant McCue because of his religion.
“Although the time between the second and third incidents was considerable, the Tribunal considered it likely that the same person or persons were behind the incidents which amounted to an ongoing act of religious harassment.”
Sergeant McCue’s religious harassment claim over the mug incident succeeded because “reasonable steps,” including conducting a formal investigation, were not taken.
However, his claim for religious harassment in relation to the two ‘UDA’ incidents was rejected as the tribunal found that the police treated them seriously.
The Civil Nuclear Police Authority, which oversees the Civil Nuclear Constabulary, was ordered by the tribunal to pay Sgt McCue £43,981 in damages to cover injury to feelings and financial loss.
During the hearing to decide on damages, the tribunal was told he is at least nine months away from returning to the force and may be forced to look for another career.
Judge Hoey said, “The impact on (Sergeant McCue) has been severe. (He) has been out of work for 16 months as a direct result of the (FTP) incident and has reported severe anxiety and depression.
“He is having panic attacks and is now on medication to manage his mental health. The effect on [him] been profound. It’s been going on for 16 months now and that effect is lasting, this is an exceptional case.’