A disabled woman who was ordered to go ten-pin bowling with colleagues, even though she could not use a bowling ball, was jeered at and given the title “Mega Flops”, a tribunal was told yesterday.

Sue Foss, 46, of Westfield, East Sussex, who has accused colleagues of sexual harassment, said constant bullying based on her disability left her depressed and ill.

Ms Foss, who suffers from disabilities caused by the drug thalidomide, has three fingers on one hand, and one-inch fingers on the other.

Ashford Employment Tribunal heard that Ms Foss, who is claiming damages for alleged sexual harassment, was told to go on the team-building exercise after she started working at Dore, a company in Sidcup that specialises in therapy for children with dyslexia, in September, 2006.

Ms Foss, who has two children, said: “I explained that because of my disability I could not do this, but I was told that as a new manager I was expected to be there. I was told to get my tits out to distract the other team. I felt like a child using the ramp and so I bowled without it and acted the fool to try to cover my embarrassment.”

She was given a rosette and a certificate, which she showed the court. It read: “This certifies that you have been awarded the title of Mega Flops.”

Before a Christmas party she was told to wear a long dress to hide her legs but “make sure the puppies were on display”.

“While we were sat round the table I was asked if I was a retired hooker and another colleague asked me ‘how much?’. They then started to try and throw pieces of bread at me. The goal was to get something down my cleavage and the table applauded if he did.

“Instead of having fun I was miserable. Yet again, I was the brunt of all the jokes. I got back to the hotel and cried myself to sleep.”

Ms Foss, who was earning £30,000 a year as a sales manager, said she was regularly humiliated. “I started off by accepting the jokes with a laugh and a smile, but as they went on they became more and more sexual and linked with my disability.

“I became hurt and took them to heart and instead of forgetting about them I took them home with me and thought about them.”

Giving evidence on behalf of Dore, Julie Roy, the financial director, said that she had been asked to carry out internal investigations into Ms Foss’s allegations, and could not find any evidence to support her claims.

She said that Bob Clark, Ms Foss’s boss, was dismissed in August after it emerged he had been using his company mobile phone to send lewd messages. Ms Roy said he had a number of harassment claims against him.

Ms Foss, who also has trouble walking, said that Mr Clark was responsible for planning a rollerskating trip. “I was on sick leave. But I had a call from my boss Bob Clark. He said he was disappointed I would not be going because he said he was looking forward to seeing me trying to roller-skate with my gammy leg and that then I would not be able to get away from him.”

She said that she had tried to fit in and laugh off the slurs, but added: “It was more than I could bear. They were aware how hard I found it and how much pride I had to swallow, but they persisted in making a fool out of me. [The Christmas party] was the final straw for me and when I went back to work in January I just felt I couldn’t go on. I was driving to work in Sidcup and I got to a roundabout and just thought ‘I can’t do this’ and about-turned and drove home.”

The hearing continues.

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