BeritaTREN.COM

Tricia Thomas, 40, claimed she had been repeatedly groped by her boss Rob Hawkins

The kennel maid who accused a vet of sexually harassing her has dropped her case.

Tricia Thomas, 40, claimed she had been repeatedly groped by her boss Rob Hawkins, bombarded with text messages and spied on while changing.

The married father-of-three was alleged to have touched the veterinary assistant inappropriately as they treated animals, and stroked her bottom and breasts and tried to kiss her when they were alone in the kennels.

At the employment tribunal, Mrs Thomas had wept as it was put to her chimney-sweep husband Steve that she had in fact been having an affair with her alleged harasser.

Mr Thomas insisted the advances had been unwelcome to his wife, and said Mr Hawkins had been ‘trying to get into her knickers’ and was ‘not taking no for an answer’.

He also denied claims he had threatened to kill the vet.

Mother-of-two Mrs Thomas had said she worked at the Bridge House surgery in Barnstaple, North Devon, for seven and a half years and saw Mr Hawkins, 45, as a friend as well as a boss.

She said that relationship changed last autumn. The alleged harassment was said to have reached a peak in January this year, leading her to tell her husband.

But Mr Hawkins’s barrister James Dawson claimed that in fact she had been thrown out of the marital home because her husband had discovered she had been unfaithful.

Mrs Thomas had said she worked at the surgery in Barnstaple, North Devon, pictured, for seven and a half years and saw Mr Hawkins, 45, as a friend as well as a boss

He told the tribunal in Taunton, Somerset, that the cuddling in the kennels had been consensual.

Mr Dawson produced phone evidence which showed that Mrs Thomas had initiated many of the text exchanges with the vet.

Mr Dawson told the claimant’s husband: ‘You were distraught because you’d found out your wife was having an affair. When you saw Mr Hawkins you told him you were going to kill him and were willing to do time for him and would rub his face in the concrete.’

Mr Thomas denied this and said: ‘I thought he had been harassing her. Trying to kiss and cuddle her and not taking no for an answer. To put it simply; he was trying to get into her knickers.

‘I didn’t threaten to kill Mr Hawkins. I offered to break his legs. He was cowering. I made it quite clear if he pestered Trish any more I would break his legs. All he did was apologise... He was shaking so much he couldn’t get into his car.’

Mrs Thomas, from Barnstaple, was claiming sex discrimination, unfair dismissal and breach of contract against Mr Hawkins and his fellow partners in the surgery.

She withdrew the case after reaching an undisclosed settle- ment and all her claims were formally dismissed.

She and her husband left the tribunal together without comment.

Her solicitor Terry Falcoa said: ‘My client is thankful that proceedings are over and she is looking forward to moving on with her life.’ dailymail.co.uk