Woman Admits to Perverting the Course of Justice in Elaborate Fraud Scheme
A 50-year-old saleswoman is facing a potential jail sentence after admitting to a string of deceitful actions, including fabricating a cancer diagnosis and faking police correspondence, to bolster her cases in employment tribunals. Louise Gallagher, from Marlborough in Wiltshire, has pleaded guilty to three counts of perverting the course of justice, with further allegations set to lie on file. Her sentencing is scheduled for May 19th.
Gallagher’s legal troubles stemmed from two separate employment tribunal claims: one against distribution giant Bunzl, which she left in 2018, and another against health product supplier Essity, from which she departed in 2023. In both instances, she alleged sexual harassment. However, her claims unravelled as evidence emerged of her resorting to elaborate lies and manufactured documents to support her allegations.
The Bunzl Tribunal: A Fabricated Cancer and False CCTV Claims
While pursuing her case against Bunzl in 2020 and 2021, Gallagher claimed that Transport for London (TfL) possessed CCTV footage that would corroborate her allegations of sexual assault. She reportedly informed Bunzl via email that TfL had confirmed, following a subject access request, the existence of such footage.
However, TfL denied providing Gallagher with any information, and importantly, informed Bunzl’s legal representatives that any relevant CCTV footage would have long since been erased. This raised significant doubts about Gallagher’s claims.
As her case began to falter, Gallagher presented a handwritten doctor’s note requesting a two-year adjournment for her tribunal hearing. The note stated that she was “very sick with breast cancer which has spread to other parts of the body so needs years of treatments and some of the tumours can’t be operated on until the treatments shrink them.” It further emphasised that “Her health must come first and she is currently fighting for her life and this is why we have asked for this case to be postponed for two years.”
When the authenticity of this medical note was questioned and the tribunal refused to grant the lengthy delay, Gallagher claimed to be “shocked” and provided a treatment schedule along with further “medical letters.” However, upon investigation, the doctor named on the note, a leading consultant in cancer care, categorically denied writing it, reportedly remarking, “I know my handwriting is bad – but not that bad!”
The tribunal ultimately dismissed Gallagher’s claim against Bunzl, ordering her to pay £8,000 in legal costs. Employment Judge Rebecca Eeley concluded that Gallagher displayed a “propensity to lie” to gain an advantage and had “knowingly misled” the tribunal regarding the existence of TfL evidence, using what was deemed a “forged or doctored document.” The judge explicitly stated, “The medical certificate is clearly an untruth.”
The Essity Tribunal: Fabricated Police Emails and Witness Statements
Gallagher’s allegations against Essity emerged in 2023, shortly after she herself was placed under investigation by the company for alleged document falsification and dishonesty. In her tribunal claim, she asserted that she had reported sexual harassment and sexual assault to the police.
Essity sought to have the tribunal claim struck out, citing Gallagher’s conduct in the Bunzl case as evidence of “scandalous” and “vexatious” litigation. Gallagher responded by asserting that the sexual assault was undisputed and had been referred to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
Crucially, she attached what she described as a “witness email,” purportedly from an individual who had witnessed the alleged assault and provided evidence to the Metropolitan Police. However, the Metropolitan Police confirmed that their investigation into Gallagher’s complaint had yielded no results, and the supporting witness evidence was, in fact, fabricated.
Judge Paul Daniels, who presided over the Essity tribunal, found Gallagher to be “vague” and “evasive” when challenged on her claims. He noted that her case appeared to be built on “huge generalities and bare assertions that witnesses would all appear later, with various unpersuasive excuses as to why they could not appear or give evidence now.”
The judge concluded that Gallagher had “repeatedly provided false evidence during the course of these employment tribunal proceedings” and had “directly deployed and tried to rely on such dishonest evidence in letters to the tribunal and in her claim.” While acknowledging that Gallagher did receive breast cancer treatment between November 2020 and January 2021, Judge Daniels dismissed her claims of unfair dismissal, discrimination, and breach of contract in his April 2024 ruling. He also noted that a police investigation for perverting the course of justice was already underway.
Gallagher initially pleaded not guilty to the charges in October 2024 but later entered guilty pleas. She has been released on bail and will undergo a psychiatric assessment before her sentencing hearing. The charges of perverting the course of justice are serious offences, often resulting in custodial sentences, with a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
