Lecturer tried to sue his university for £9million after it painted an enormous mural of a women's football squad near his office

Daily Mail​

6 days ago

A lecturer tried to sue his university for £9million after it painted an enormous mural of a women's football squad near his office.
Dr Andrew Kear claimed he was being targeted by a 'smear campaign' by the University of Bournemouth following allegations he had prevented girls from playing football in a local team.
The senior lecturer also believed he was being labelled as a 'misogynist' by other staff over the incident, which took place while he worked at Bournemouth University.
But the university claimed Dr Kear's suggestions were nonsense and asked for his case to be thrown out, describing it as 'ludicrous', 'outlandish', and saying Dr Kear's version of events 'only exist in a world of fantasy'.
A judge has now dismissed his claims and found that there is no reasonable prospect of the lecturer establishing the university were at fault for his allegations.
The tribunal, held in Bristol, heard that Dr Kear was upset at an installation of a large mural near his office depicting a women's football team.
He had become frustrated by the artwork because he felt it was being used as a form of harassment to oust him from his job following previous false claims of misogyny at his former workplace.
Dr Kear started working for Bournemouth University as a senior lecturer in Digital Communications and Media in September 2017.
It was heard he had previously worked at the University of Gloucester, where he claimed 'a campaign against him was hatched'.
Another investigation concluded that he had been the victim of false allegations and a statement said: 'Specifically one of the objects of this campaign was the lodging of false allegations against him with Gloucester FA [Football Association] by the parents of some girls who played in a girl's football team which he coached.
'These allegations included false allegations that he did not think girls should play football, and was a misogynist.'
The recent tribunal heard that the lecturer had previously been the victim of false allegations against him which were lodged with Gloucester FA [Football Association] by the parents of some girls who played in a girl's football team which he coached.
The false allegations included that he did not think girls should play football and that he was a misogynist.
However the judge heard that Dr Kear believed the allegation of misogyny against him had continued to 'be spread and dog him' during his time lecturing at the University of Bournemouth.
He claimed the issue in relation to the girls football team had been 'weaponised as part of smear campaign' against him.
The artists behind the work, Rick Walker of Paintshop, told the Daily Mail that the mural represented Bournemouth University's sponsorship of AFC Bournemouth women's team.
The academic said that during his tenure, his desk was given to a colleague named Libby while he was absent - who shares the name of a girl whose parents he was in dispute with in relation to the football team.
Dr Kear alleged that this was not 'simply coincidental' and argued that the university was instead sending him messages that they were 'aware of the earlier dispute'.
The academic also claimed that he was targeted due to a 'giant mural of girls football' which was displayed on the wall outside of where he was scheduled to teach.
And, he said there were posters of the Burning Man festival on the hallway to his office, which he argued refers to him and sends a message that he is being 'targeted'.
Dr Kear also claimed that a female student he taught was actually an escort who had killed a man and was placed in his class 'in an attempt to lure him into some form of relationship with her'.
The university argued this claim was 'especially preposterous'.
The academic claimed he had suffered a detriment, and the university had been 'generating hate to support harassment and negative treatment'.
He said this was 'mostly from females due to the powerful axiom of Dr Kear being falsely labelled a misogynist and stopping girls play football'.
Dr Kear - who was dismissed in May 2024 - also said there were attempts to murder him while he was driving and kayaking, and said the campaign against him had blighted his son's football career.
He brought claims of sex discrimination, public interest disclosure detriment, and unfair dismissal to a tribunal and hoped to sue for £9.25 million in compensation.
His sex discrimination claim was on the basis that the acts 'would not have happened to a female academic'.
In an application to have the case dismissed, the University of Bournemouth argued that Dr Kear's claims were 'outlandish', 'ludicrous', and 'only exist in a world of fantasy'.
Employment Judge Paul Cadney said both the Burning Man posters and girls football team mural are 'perfectly ordinary features of a university campus'.
EJ Cadney said the claim relating to the academic named Libby was 'ludicrous'.
And, he said the claim relating to the escort was 'clearly fantastical'.
All claims made by Dr Kear were dismissed at a preliminary hearing.
Dismissing his sex discrimination claim in relation to the football club, EJ Cadney said: 'In my judgement there is no legal basis for the claims in respect of these allegations.
'The [university] is liable for the acts of its employees in the course of their employment and/ or its agents.
'Given that it is not alleged that any of those involved were either, and given that they all occurred before [Dr Kear] was employed by the [university], in my judgement there is no reasonable prospect of [Dr Kear] establishing that the [university] bore any responsibility for any of these allegations and they will be dismissed as having no reasonable prospect of success.'