London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Sep 01, 2025

Former Police Scotland officer hopes ‘torturous’ tribunal win will help women

Former Police Scotland officer hopes ‘torturous’ tribunal win will help women

Ex-firearms officer Rhona Malone, awarded nearly £1m for sexist victimisation, says pain and sacrifices outweigh any compensation
A former armed response officer awarded nearly £1m by Police Scotland over victimisation said the past few years had been “torturous” and no amount of compensation could make up for the pain experienced.

Rhona Malone began her action against the force after a senior police officer said he did not want to see two female armed officers deployed together when there were sufficient male staff on duty.

An employment tribunal heard how Insp Keith Warhurst cited “the obvious differences in physical capacity” and a “balance of testosterone” as reasons for the decision.

When Malone challenged Warhurst, he denied being sexist and threatened to suspend her from duty because she was not acting in a “calm/restrained and controlled manner”.

The employment tribunal also heard of other instances of sexist and misogynistic behaviour, including Warhurst distributing images of topless women on an internal WhatsApp group, Warhurst describing the pregnant wife of another officer as “a fucking fat bitch”, and a senior officer telling one female firearms officer to “fuck off” when she requested a two-piece uniform instead of a boiler suit, to make it easier to use the toilet.

The tribunal found there was an “absolute boys’ club” culture within the armed response unit in Edinburgh where Malone had worked.

In its judgment in October last year, the tribunal upheld Malone’s claims of victimisation but dismissed her claim of direct discrimination.

Malone said no amount of compensation will “ever make up for the pain or sacrifices” she had made – including incurring costs in the region of six figures – but hoped winning would “benefit many women now and in the future”.

However, she criticised both Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Federation, the body that represents rank and file officers, saying that they had “failed” her and “grossly underestimated my determination for acknowledgment and accountability”.

Malone said in a statement to PA Media that her “quest for justice” had “come at great personal risk” adding that it was “sadly one that could have so easily been avoided”.

She said: “At long last I have closure to what has been an excruciating and torturous few years, but one that I hope will benefit many women now and in the future.

“It is important for me to say that had the individuals in positions of trust and authority who victimised and suppressed my pursuit for acknowledgment and accountability been honest, shown moral integrity and empathy for my situation, then perhaps Police Scotland could have taken the opportunity to communicate and evidence a far more progressive and inclusive organisation.

“This would have empowered police officers and made Scotland proud.”

Malone also said that had she received “care and support from the Scottish Police Federation then perhaps Police Scotland would not have responded with contempt or attempted to suppress and deny me justice”.

Her comments came after it was revealed a settlement had been agreed with Police Scotland in which Malone will receive £947,909.07.

The settlement also includes a personal apology to Malone from chief constable Iain Livingstone.

In a statement issued on Friday, the force apologised for “its poor response when a dedicated and promising officer raised legitimate concerns. The chief constable also emphasised his personal commitment to leading change in policing in Scotland, which drives equality and inclusion to improve the experiences of all women, including our own officers and staff.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
Investigations Reveal Rise in ‘Sex-for-Rent’ Listings Across Canada Exploiting Vulnerable Tenants
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
Ukrainian Nationalist Politician Andriy Parubiy Assassinated in Lviv
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
Federal Reserve Independence Questioned Amid Trump’s Push to Reshape Central Bank
British Politics Faces Tumultuous Autumn After Summer of Rebellions and Rising Farage Momentum
US Appeals Court Rules Against Most Trump-Era Tariffs
UK Sought Broad Access to Apple Users’ Data, Court Filing Reveals
UK Bank Shares Dive Over Potential Tax on Sector
Germany’s Auto Industry Sheds 51,500 Jobs in First Half of 2025 Amid Deepening Crisis
Bruce Willis Relocated Due to Advanced Dementia
French and Korean Nuclear Majors Clash As EU Launches Foreign Subsidy Probe
EU Stands Firm on Digital Rules as Trump Warns of Retaliation
Getting Ready for the 3rd Time in Its History, Germany Approves Voluntary Military Service for Teenagers
Argentine President Javier Milei Evacuated After Stones Thrown During Campaign Event
Denmark Confronts U.S. Diplomat Over Covert Trump-Linked Influence in Greenland
Starmer Should Back Away from ECHR, Says Jack Straw
Trump Demands RICO Charges Against George Soros and Son for Funding Violent Protests
Taylor Swift Announces Engagement to NFL Star Travis Kelce
France May Need IMF Bailout, Warns Finance Minister
Chinese AI Chipmaker Cambricon Posts Record Profit as Beijing Pushes Pivot from Nvidia
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
Ukraine Finally Allows Young Men Aged Eighteen to Twenty-Two to Leave the Country
The Porn Remains, Privacy Disappears: How Britain Broke the Internet in Ten Days
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Welcome to The Definition of Insanity: Germany Edition
Just a reminder, this is Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris.
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
×