Woman wins £142k in harassment case against GP who called her 'an old knacker'
Dr George Williams was said to have an "obsession" with Catherine Clark and her family.
A former GP surgery manager who was branded an "old knacker" and her daughter a "fat p***k" by one of her bosses has won more than £142,000 in compensation.
A tribunal found Catherine Clark, 62, had been harassed, bullied and unfairly forced out of her job.
The practice manager was working at Gardden Road Surgery in Rhosllanerchrugog, near Wrexham, when she was subjected to a string of vile messages behind her back – including cruel jibes about her age, mental health, and family.
The employment tribunal heard that Dr George Williams, a female GP and one of the partners at the practice, privately referred to Ms Clark as an 'old knacker' and mocked her family by calling them the 'Clarkashians' – a dig at the Kardashians – while gossiping with colleagues via WhatsApp.
In one shocking message, Dr Williams told her then-boyfriend she was 'trying to dislodge the old knacker' and compared Ms Clark to 'a decent tumour' with 'a long root'.
Judge Rachel Harfield described the comment as 'harassment related to age', likening the insult to 'a reference to an old horse that needed to be put down'.
Ms Clark, who had confided in Dr Williams about her mental health struggles, was devastated to discover she had also been labelled a 'drug-seeker' by colleagues for being prescribed diazepam.
Messages shared between Dr Williams and others included further insults about Ms Clark's family. Her daughter was called a 'fat p***k', while another relative was cruelly referred to as '10 pints'.
The abuse only came to light in December 2021 after Dr Williams' ex-boyfriend contacted Ms Clark, claiming the GP had an 'obsession' with her and her family.
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Ms Clark said she was left heartbroken and cried for days. She resigned from the practice after feeling her formal complaints had been brushed aside — and took legal action.
Judge Harfield ruled in Ms Clark's favour, saying she had been constructively unfairly dismissed and subjected to discrimination and harassment due to her age and disability, as she was managing a long-term health condition.
The tribunal found that the surgery failed to take action against Dr Williams and had created an 'intimidating, degrading, humiliating and offensive' environment.
Ms Clark was awarded £142,803 in total – including £60,873 in lost income, £32,550 for injury to feelings, and £16,844 for unfair dismissal.
Dr Williams tried to argue that the 'old knacker' phrase was not meant in a derogatory way and claimed she sometimes called her own mother 'old dear' in affection. But the judge firmly rejected the excuse.
WalesOnline reported that when they contacted the surgery for comment, calls were abruptly ended twice. On a third attempt, a staff member simply said the practice would not be commenting.
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