Car crash victim wins £17k harassment payout after colleague compared her to Stephen Hawking
Alison McRobbie, a car crash victim, received £17,280 in compensation after a tribunal ruled she was harassed by a colleague. The harassment occurred when the colleague made an unflattering comparison to Stephen Hawking while using McRobbie's new office chair. Despite the ruling in her favor, McRobbie was ordered to pay costs to the Department for Work and Pensions for her unreasonable behavior during the proceedings.
- ▪Alison McRobbie was awarded £17,280 after an employment tribunal found she was harassed by a colleague.
- ▪The harassment involved a comparison to Stephen Hawking while showcasing a new office chair.
- ▪McRobbie suffers from disabilities due to a car crash in 2017 and had requested reasonable adjustments at work.
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NewsUKHome NewsCar crash victim wins £17k harassment payout after colleague compared her to Stephen HawkingThe incident happened when Alison McRobbie was showing off her new office chairDylan Bilyard Friday 29 May 2026 11:17 BSTBookmarkBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popover{"translations":{"comments":"Go to comments","share":"Share","copyLink":"Copy link","bookmark":"Bookmark","removeBookmark":"Remove bookmark"},"showComments":false,"showBookmark":true,"articleId":"b2985825","articleMeta":{"url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/stephen-hawking-alison-mcrobbie-dwp-b2985825.html","title":"Car crash victim wins £17k payout after colleague compared her to Stephen Hawking"}}Related video: Make a claim to an employment tribunal on GOV.UKYour support helps us to tell…
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