Prison Counsellor Sacked Over Whistleblowing

Oxford University graduate Robina Husain-Naviatti has been awarded compensation of £47,580 after being unfairly dismissed by her employer after blowing the whistle on an alleged theft of more than £300,000 of public funds.

She had been employed as deputy director of Forensic Therapies, a charity based in central London which provides counselling services in UK prisons.

In 2008, Miss Husain-Naviatti notified trustees of the charity that a grant from the Cabinet Office of £535,000 had been recorded as £240,000 in a business plan.

The tribunal heard that Steve Morris, the director of the charity, had allegedly previously falsified cheques.

Miss Husain-Naviatti also alleged that the Cabinet Office and another charity had both unwittingly paid her £35,000 salary, and that one of the payments had been siphoned off.