Mr D Sideris v National Crime Agency — 2024

The claimant was employed as an Officer Trainee on the respondent's Initial Operational Training Programme. He alleged that the termination of his contract and treatment during the programme amounted to direct sex discrimination, indirect sex discrimination, and race- and sex-related harassment. The respondent denied the allegations and said the contract was terminated because the claimant did not meet the standards required on the programme.

The Tribunal found that the claimant had not proved facts from which it could conclude that he was treated less favourably because of sex or subjected to sex-related harassment. It did not accept that the claimant's female comparator was in the same material circumstances, and it found non-discriminatory explanations for the proven treatment.

The race-related harassment complaints also failed. For indirect sex discrimination, the respondent accepted a PCP of not allowing formal alternative working patterns for IOTP trainees, but the Tribunal found the claimant had not shown that this put men as a group at a particular disadvantage compared with women. Because none of the complaints succeeded, remedy did not arise.