I Was Humiliated: Former Police Chief Wins Discrimination Case as Force Chief Is Forced To Apologise

A former senior police officer has spoken of the 'humiliation' she suffered during a long-running discrimination case after the chief constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland publicly apologised for the treatment she received.

Former chief inspector Ursula Merrick said the apology from PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher was 'very validating' but also 'very late,' coming more than three years after an employment tribunal found that she had been discriminated against because of her sex and disability.

Merrick, who was medically retired in 2021, had served with the RUC and PSNI since 1993 and eventually rose to the rank of temporary chief inspector.

The BBC reported that she was subjected to what she described as a campaign of damaging allegations by former Superintendent Ian Campbell, who has since retired.

'I Was Absolutely Horrified and Humiliated'

Speaking after the apology, Merrick said she had been 'absolutely horrified and humiliated' by Campbell's conduct and accused him of trying to damage her professional reputation.

She said the experience had continued to affect her and her family years after the tribunal ruling. 'I won the tribunal in 2023, so it beggars belief that it has taken almost three and a half years for the chief constable to finally issue this apology,' she said.

Merrick had previously raised concerns about alleged sexual impropriety and abuse of position involving another officer. The employment tribunal found that she was discriminated against on grounds of sex and disability and was subjected to what it described in its judgment as serious and damaging treatment.

Chief Constable Admits Internal Processes Failed

Boutcher issued a public apology on Monday and acknowledged that the force's internal processes had failed to recognise what Merrick had experienced when she raised her concerns.

'There is and should be no place for behaviour like this in the PSNI,' he said. He added that the force was committed to a workplace culture based on equality, diversity and inclusion.

Boutcher also acknowledged the loss of an experienced officer, saying the PSNI had lost 'an experienced and diligent police officer.' He offered to meet Merrick personally to apologise for the treatment she had suffered.

Tribunal Found Discrimination

The tribunal proceedings date back several years, with Merrick's complaint having been lodged in 2018. According to reporting on the case, the tribunal found she had suffered discrimination and harassment after raising concerns about the conduct of colleagues.

Merrick said the judgment used exceptionally strong language to describe what had happened to her, including references to behaviour she said had damaged her integrity and professionalism. She also said she believed she had been subjected to a pattern of misogynistic behaviour from a senior male officer.

It was reported that the tribunal had found allegations made against Merrick to be 'scurrilous and unfounded' and that she had faced discrimination linked to her whistleblowing.

Merrick Says Apology Is 'Long Overdue'

Merrick welcomed Boutcher's apology but said the delay had added to the distress caused by the case. She said it had taken almost a decade since her initial complaint for the matter to reach this point and called the experience deeply troubling.

'I hope my case will give courage to other women facing similar treatment,' she said. She added that she hoped the PSNI would create a workplace environment where officers would not need to show such courage simply to raise concerns.

Former Police Ombudsman Baroness Nuala O'Loan said the case raised wider questions about the culture within policing and warned that misogyny could become easier to sustain when women are underrepresented.

The PSNI said it remains committed to equality, diversity and inclusion as it responds to the findings and the criticism surrounding the handling of Merrick's case.