Secretaty of State for Justice

Case Summary

Mrs Sansum brought disability discrimination claims under the Equality Act 2010 against the Secretary of State for Justice relating to her employment as a case administrator in the Probation Service. The claims were dismissed because the claimant failed to attend the final hearing on 17 March 2026 without prior notice or explanation, and had previously breached a tribunal order requiring exchange of witness statements.

The claims were dismissed under Rule 47 of the Employment Tribunal Procedure Rules 2024 due to the claimant's non-attendance at the final hearing on 17 March 2026. The claimant made no attempt to contact the Tribunal in advance to indicate any difficulty attending or to request postponement, did not respond to telephone or email attempts by the Tribunal clerk to contact her, and the claim had not been actively pursued following the claimant's breach of the order to provide a witness statement in May 2025.

• •Disability discrimination arising from disability (section 15 Equality Act 2010)
• •Failure to make reasonable adjustments (sections 20/21 Equality Act 2010)
• •Non-compliance with tribunal order to provide witness statement
• •Failure to actively pursue claim

1 THE EMPLOYMENT TRIBUNALS Claimant Mrs C Sansum Respondent Secretary of State for Justice Heard atNewcastle upon Tyne Hearing Centre On 17 March 2026 BeforeEmployment Judge Langridge Members Mrs C Hunter Mr G Gallagher Representation: ClaimantNo attendance RespondentMr J Allsop, counsel JUDGMENT Rule 47 Employment Tribunal Procedure Rules 2024 The claimant's disability discrimination claims under the Equality Act 2010 are dismissed due to the claimant's non-attendance at the hearing on 17 March 2026. REASONS 1. This decision was given orally at the hearing on 17 March 2026, and the following sets out the Tribunal's summary reasons. Conduct of the proceedings 2. This claim was presented on 10 June 2024 and raised issues relating to the claimant's employment as a case administrator in the Probation Service. She was employed from 4 March 2024 to 21 June 2024. During that short time the claimant was absent from work for a variety of health reasons, and was unhappy about the 2 respondent's management of that under its absence management policy. In particular, the claimant did not agree with the proposed handling of a phased return to work. She was still in her 6 month probationary period when she decided to resign, and her employment ended on 21 June 2024. 3. Having previously withdrawn a complaint of constructive unfair dismissal, the claimant's remaining claims were intended to be brought under the Equality Act 2010 (‘the Act’). The application to the Tribunal (form ET1) disclosed very little information about the claims, neither identifying the relevant disability nor the statutory provisions which the claimant alleged had been breached. The respondent understood the claims to be brought under section 15 of the Act (discrimination arising from disability) and sections 20/21 (reasonable adjustments). 4. The…