An Inverness social worker used the terms “fat bitch”, “pretty girls” and “ugly” to describe his female colleagues, according to a damning report.
Brian Donnachie’s behaviour towards other staff members while he worked for The Richmond Fellowship Scotland in Inverness has been laid bare following an investigation by the The Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC).
The regulator received reports of several incidents involving Donnachie and his behaviour towards female colleagues over the space of almost one year.
In its findings the SSSC revealed that in December 2021, Donnachie told a 22-year-old female colleague “it’s nice to have pretty girls working in the service” whilst looking her up and down.
He also asked for the female’s age, and told her he thought another female colleague was a “fat bitch”.
The report found that Donnachie’s behaviour involved or was witnessed by nine different staff members.
SSSC condemn Inverness support worker’s behaviour
The SSSC laid out numerous remarks made by Donnachie during June 2021 and May 2022, including that he:
- commented on the size of his colleagues’ breasts
- told a colleague that her breasts were “perkier”
- asked a staff member for a hug and when she pulled away from him, he said “don’t tease me”
- said to a colleague that he had described her to another man as “the sexy one with the big breasts” or words to that effect
- said to a service user “do you think XX should be my girlfriend?”
- when a colleague was on the phone to her mother, he said “I’m sleeping with your daughter” or words to that effect.
He also described colleagues as “fat” and “ugly” and said he “wouldn’t touch them with a barge pole”, while he said others were “good-looking but bitches”.
During the SSSC investigation, several colleagues gave evidence as well as Donnachie, who had been employed by the organisation for 22 years before being dismissed in July 2022.
The Richmond Fellowship Scotland provides services and support for mental health, learning disabilities, dementia and alcohol issues.
Donnachie has worked with ‘hundreds of women’
The SSSC panel found for and against Donnachie, finding that several allegations had not been proven such as he would wait around after his shift because he wished to see a female colleague.
The panel ruled that Donnachie had behaved in a “sexually motivated manner” on some but not all of the allegations lodged against him.
In his own submission, the support worker – who is currently working in the care sector – said he “would never behave in the extreme way referred to in the allegations.”
He said he was “neither rude nor nasty” and that he had worked in care for 24 years across eight different services and had worked with “hundreds of women”.
He told the fitness to practise panel that if he had been guilty of the allegations, he “would have left care”.
In conclusion, the SSSC panel found Donnachie’s fitness to practice to be impaired and made the decision to impose a suspension order for a period of one year as well as imposing conditions on his registration.
Donnachie also has to undertake sexual harassment and professional conduct in the workplace training.
A spokesperson for The Richmond Fellowship Scotland said it did not wish to make further comment on the matter.
To read the full report, visit the SSSC’s website.