Roy Daby
Jefferies


Who? Roy Daby, 30-year-old associate at Essex firm Jefferies, who specialises in civil litigation.


Why is he in the news? Represented David Clark, a former policeman who won the right to compensation after the High Court found he had been subjected to bullying by senior officers. Mr Clark worked as a constable in the Essex Police Force between 1976 and 1999, when he stopped work suffering from depression. He retired on medical grounds in 2002. He had made complaints about the conduct of a senior officer during an investigation into theft and the handling of stolen goods. Mr Clark claimed he was punished for doing so, for example being shouted at, made to file unnecessary reports and being dismissed as officer in charge and disclosure officer in a 1999 case at Basildon Crown Court and threatened with defamation proceedings. Mr Justice Tugendhat found that while Mr Clark's colleagues had not deliberately caused psychiatric injury to him, he had been the victim of negligence as such injury was a reasonable foreseeable consequence of the mistreatment he suffered. He received £18,000 in general damages, with the figure for special damages to be assessed. A spokeswoman for Essex Police said the force was seeking permission to appeal the judgment. She added: 'Essex Police does not tolerate bullying of any kind and will treat any allegations of bullying very seriously.'


Background: Law degree at the University of London followed by the legal practice course at Anglia University. He qualified in 2003 after training with his current firm. He was made an associate in 2005.

Route to the case: 'In the local area, we have a strong reputation for civil actions and the client was aware of this from his time in the police.'


Thoughts on the case: 'It's a real shame when a police officer has to sue his employer, especially after 26 years of service. The case for David Clark was really never about compensation. He was proud to be a police officer and wanted his concerns investigated and acted upon; instead of which he was bullied at work. Despite this, he was brave enough to take Essex Police Force on at a considerable financial risk and has been entirely vindicated. Hopefully this judgment will provide comfort to all employees, including serving police officers who are concerned to make complaints about senior staff and practices, and for those who may have suffered psychological stress at work.'


Dealing with the media: 'The interest has been widespread, from local television and newspapers to the nationals. They all have different perspectives on the story, which is interesting. For the local papers, it's just a local story about bullying and harassment at work, but for the nationals it was more about police behaviour and was reported in a much more sensational style. The attention has been positive for the client, who has received letters about it from people who he has never met. All in all, it has been a busy week.'


Catherine Baksi