The BBC
Five women have accused a judge of bullying and sexist behaviour during employment tribunal hearings.
One woman told BBC News Judge Philip Lancaster had shouted at her at least 16 times, while another said she feared for any woman appearing before him.
The women, who encountered him in separate cases, said they wanted to highlight his “degrading behaviour”.
Mr Lancaster has not responded to questions from the BBC.
All the women we have spoken to lost cases heard in Leeds in front of Judge Lancaster, although some of them have been fully or partially successful on appeal.
Employment tribunals are specialist courts that rule on disputes between employers and employees. There are about 30,000 hearings in England, Scotland and Wales each year, centring around issues such as unfair dismissal, discrimination or redundancy payments. Northern Ireland has a separate system.
Dr Hinaa Toheed, a GP, appeared before Judge Lancaster at an employment tribunal in February 2022, while bringing a case of maternity discrimination against her former business partner.
She says that on the first morning of her hearing the judge described her case as an “omnishambles”.
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