A former recruitment consultant believes she is no longer able to work in the industry as she waits for a tribunal compensation ruling.

Gail Newbould won a case earlier this year against Flame Employment in Middlesbrough after it had accused her of theft.

The tribunal, held at Thornaby-on-Tees on 19 April and 16 June 2004, decided the dismissal was unfair “because the respondent (Flame) failed to show the reason for dismissal, having relied on a simple denial that it did not dismiss the applicant”.

A remedies hearing is to be held in January, following independent medical tests on Newbould.

But Newbould now feels she is unable to find work in recruitment after the stress of the allegations.

She said: “At this time, I’m a broken woman. Although I have been cleared of very serious allegations of theft, I believe my reputation has been tarnished. I’ve suffered from stress and depression, and I think it will be very hard for me to work in the industry again.”

Newbould was accused of theft at what Flame’s managing director John Wolfe called “a fact-finding meeting.” Newbould disagreed, claiming it was a disciplinary meeting and that her employment rights had been abused. The next day, she was locked out of her own office after Flame changed the alarm codes.

“There is no doubt that this was a breach of the implied term of trust and confidence,” the tribunal found. “No employee treated in this way by their employer could possibly be expected to put up with conduct of that kind.”

Newbould later resigned from her post at Flame Employment.

Wolfe told Recruiter: “It would be inappropriate to comment because the case has not closed.”