I'm no lying bully, says Dome boss

Lucy Weston, of Broadwater Road, Marie Macbain, of Samphire Drive in Durrington, and James Pearson, of Portland Road, Worthing, have accused manager Belle Stennett of unfair dismissal and constructive unfair dismissal respectively. They began presenting their case to an employment tribunal this week, where Mrs Stennett strongly denied all the allegations.

Acting for Mrs Stennett and the Dome, barrister Martina Murphy said: "Tensions are running high in this case but generalised allegations have been made which bear no relevance to these three specific claims."

The hearing heard that certain witness statements also contained allegations of "racist remarks" which Mrs Stennett found "extremely distressing", Mrs Murphy said.

Mrs Macbain, a mother of three, claimed Mrs Stennett, pictured below, right, slashed her working hours from 21 a week to just five after she was given a verbal warning and then failed to pay her sick pay when she was signed off with stress.

However, Mrs Murphy told the hearing that while Mrs Macbain was off sick, the Dome learned she had attended a college course and "work experience" and halted her sick pay while investigations were carried out. They also said she failed to provide a valid medical certificate from her doctor.

Mr Pearson, who worked as a supervisor, says he wrote a letter of complaint on June 4, to Mrs Stennett. He said he was forced to resign because the complaint was never dealt with and he never received an answer to his letter.Finally, Lucy Weston says she was called into a disciplinary meeting on June 1, after she had suffered a panic attack and left her post to go to hospital.

Tim Concannon, acting for all the claimants, told the hearing Miss Weston was disciplined for "absenting herself" and then sacked. Both of these claims are denied.

Giving her evidence yesterday, Mrs Macbain said she was behind with her rent and council tax payments and was on anti-depressants because of the distress she had suffered.

She said she was given a verbal warning by Mrs Stennett in April after a member of staff went into the bar area and put on a CD.Her working hours were then slashed, she says, and she was signed off by her doctor with stress on May 9.

"My doctor told me to continue with my college course, an HND in graphic design, and because this had nothing to do with work I did not tell them," she said. She said shortly after she called in sick, Miss Stennett "demanded" her set of keys back and banned her and her family from the Dome.

But Miss Murphy said: "You were told, though, were you not that the keys would be yours again when you returned to work?" "At that point, yes," said Mrs Macbain.

Mrs Murphy continued: "Mrs Stennett's case is that you were not banned from the Dome but she said if the environment of the Dome was too stressful for you you should not come in to watch a film." The hearing is expected to last all week.