'Eye candy' staff at exclusive shoe shop were sexually harassed by their boss... but he keeps his job despite damning tribunal judgement
- Boualem Guerbi, 61, behaved like a 'randy old man' at Barker Shoes
- He sexually assaulted Mehrnoosh Bolhasani, 46, and Agnese Avota, 29
- But the married father-of-two is still in his job in the West End of London
Boualem Guerbi, manager of Barker Shoes' flagship store on London's Regent Street, behaved like a 'randy old man', an employment tribunal has ruled
Two saleswomen at one of Britain's most exclusive shoe stores were sexually harassed by their 'rampant' manager, an employment tribunal has ruled.
Married father-of-two Boualem Guerbi, 61, behaved like a 'randy old man' at the flagship store of upmarket Barker Shoes in the West End of London.
But, remarkably, he is still in his job, despite the Central London tribunal hearing claims he regarded his staff as 'eye candy' and had at least seven victims.
He only hired 'beautiful girls with nice bodies' – then froze them out when they spurned his advances, it was claimed.
Mehrnoosh Bolhasani, 46, and Agnese Avota, 29, finally fought back at their boss, who 'always wanted a hug', stripped to the waist at work, and told lurid tales of the sights he saw on a nudist beach.
They could now be due more than £100,000 after winning employment tribunal claims for sexual harassment and discrimination. Miss Bolhasani has been on unpaid sick leave for more than two years. Miss Avota is studying to be a nurse.
In a judgment issued privately last month following nine days of hearings last March, the tribunal ruled Guerbi sexually assaulted Miss Bolhasani in his office.
The judgment also found that Barker bosses turned a blind eye, noting that they rejected the two women's grievance complaints, and that managing director Alan Pringle left it to his personal assistant to dismiss Miss Avota's appeal.
Last night Miss Bolhasani said: 'Guerbi needs to get punished and realise what he did with me and the other girls was completely wrong.'
Miss Avota added: 'We don't understand why he can harass people and still work there.'
The tribunal was told that Algerian-born Guerbi, of Eltham, South-East London, hired Miss Bolhasani in 2010 to work at a store on Brompton Road in West London.
Miss Bolhasani, from Iran and living in Tottenham, North London, became the £30,000-a-year-plus assistant manager.
She told the tribunal: 'He often told me about his body, how fit he was for his age – stories about how girls approached him to talk to him and make him sexual offers. I found his conversation disturbing.'
She said she was sexually assaulted in his office at Regent Street in May 2012, pulling her towards him and trying to kiss her.
Agnese Avota, 29 (left), and Mehrnoosh Bolhasani, 46, (right) who were sexually harassed by boss Boualem Guerbi, the tribunal ruled
Yet when she complained to bosses that Guerbi only ever employed 'beautiful girls with nice bodies', she claimed she was bluntly told that was why she was hired.
Miss Bolhasani also claimed Guerbi groped other sales assistants. She said: 'Those who refused his sexual approaches fared badly.'
Miss Bolhasani also won a racism complaint because Guerbi said 'bloody Iranians are all aggressive'.
Latvian Miss Avota told the tribunal: 'Because I had rejected Mr Guerbi, he sought to punish me in every way he thought of. He humiliated me in front of colleagues, leaving me in tears, and threatened me with dismissal.'
After seven months she resigned, blaming his 'animal behaviour'.
Mr Guerbi denied being a sex pest but the tribunal panel said Guerbi created a hostile and degrading working environment for women.
It added that Barker was 'anxious from the outset to downplay' the harassment complaints.
Mr Guerbi, working at a Barker shop in London's Regent Street, yesterday refused to comment.
A spokesman for Barker refused to discuss Mr Guerbi's continuing employment, and said the company was considering appealing.
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