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Trans tribunal nurse accused of wanting to "post bacon" to mosque

Trans tribunal nurse accused of wanting to "post bacon" to mosque

BBC Newsa day ago
The nurse at the centre of a tribunal involving a transgender doctor allegedly told colleagues she wanted to post bacon through the letterbox of a local mosque.Sandie Peggie made the comment at a work lunch with colleagues, along with other remarks insulting transgender people, according to testimony from Fiona Wishart, another nurse with NHS Fife. According to another colleague Ms Peggie shared racist jokes in a WhatsApp chat regarding the flooding that killed thousands in Pakistan in 2022. Ms Peggie is to return on Tuesday to give additional evidence in the tribunal, at the request of her legal team.
The nurse was suspended by NHS Fife in January 2024 following a row with Dr Beth Upton regarding the doctor being allowed in a women's changing room.She has since lodged a claim against NHS Fife and Dr Upton, citing the Equality Act 2010.Ms Wishart, who has worked for NHS Fife for 41 years, told the tribunal Ms Peggie's comment regarding a mosque in Kirkcaldy was made on 4 September 2023. She said Ms Peggie said "she had a good mind to post bacon through their letterbox" and that the comment stood out in her mind because it was offensive.Ms Peggie's lawyer Naomi Cunningham suggested the comment had been made several years previously by a male paramedic, and Ms Wishart was choosing to falsely attribute it to Ms Peggie.She denied this, and said it was definitely the nurse who made the comment.She said other comments regarding Dr Upton were made at the lunch, but could not recall the details of what words were used.However other colleagues had told her Ms Peggie had referred to Dr Upton as "weirdo", "freak" and "it".
Later testimony by nurse Lindsey Nicoll said Ms Peggie had used those terms in conversation and in a WhatsApp chat for a group of nurses who sometimes holidayed together.According to messages from the chat, Dr Upton's looks were mocked and was referred to as having a "pathetic voice" by Ms Peggie in the chat.Ms Nicoll said she believed the comments were "disrespectful" and made her feel uncomfortable.She added her main concern was with how Ms Peggie expressed her views.Ms Cunningham suggested it was "not wholly unfair" to call Dr Upton a "weirdo", and that if any man walked into the women's changing rooms they would "be considered a voyeur" and therefore it would be reasonable to suggest they were what the lawyer called a creep or a weirdo. This was in reference to an incident where Ms Peggie had messaged a colleague's husband by accident and asked for a picture of "the weirdo", thinking she was messaging a different colleague. The husband then replied with a picture of his wife in a fancy dress costume, an incident that annoyed her and led to the wife complaining about Ms Peggie to Ms Nicoll.
Pakistan flooding
The tribunal also heard Ms Peggie posted racist jokes in the chat referencing flooding in Pakistan. Among the comments were "what goes around comes around – Pakistan has been flooding Britain for years" and crude jokes about Asian people.Ms Cunningham asked why Ms Nicoll had not criticised her at the time. She replied that she wished she had remonstrated with her.The lawyer asked if Ms Nicoll's actions in speaking to the tribunal were due to her "having it in" for Ms Peggie, referencing a text message from Ms Nicoll saying she hoped Ms Peggie would be struck off. She denied this claim, and said she was giving testimony so people could "understand Sandie's character" and that there was no place for "bigotry in nursing."Ms Wishart had also alleged Ms Peggie made racial remarks, particularly regarding immigrants.A previous session of the tribunal had seen texts sent by Ms Peggie where she complained that "everyone stands up for the minority", referencing Dr Upton.
Timeline of the Sandie Peggie tribunal
Other chat messages involved discussing Imane Khelif, who won women's welterweight gold at the Paris Olympics last year amid a row over gender eligibility.Ms Nicoll also said Ms Peggie spoke to her after a family member came out as gay.She said: "She was devastated about a family member being gay and asked me 'how I coped with two family members being gay'.Ms Nicoll said the use of coping suggested Ms Peggie was upset about her family member being gay.Ms Cunningham suggested being upset was a "reasonable" reaction to the news as various reasons could cause it, such as fear of relatives suffering homophobia.
Extra witnesses
Earlier the tribunal panel agreed for further witnesses to appear on Tuesday, with a timescale described as "extremely tight".Ms Peggie's legal team said gender critical group Sex Matters were contacted at the weekend by a witness who shared the nurse's objections over sharing a changing room with Dr Upton and "found the courage to come forward".A representative of Sex Matters has now been called to discuss this evidence. The team had also been contacted by another potential witness.Ms Cunningham said that the way Ms Peggie had been treated by NHS Fife had "frightened off" other potential witnesses who shared her views, and that the nurse "has been the only one to find the courage to speak up" until now.Employment judge Sandy Kemp said the Tuesday schedule - which will also feature cross-examination of Dr Maggie Currer, a consultant in emergency medicine – was the only way to ensure all evidence was heard without extending the tribunal any further.
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