Shop worker who won £19k payout after boss called her "fatty" won't get cash
A woman who won nearly £20,000 in compensation after being branded a "fatty" and a "prostitute" by her sexist boss is facing up to never seeing a penny of her settlement.
Aishah Zaman, 35, was handed the five-figure payout in October after she was barraged with derogatory comments and sexual advances from boss Shahzad Younas.
But textiles firm Knightsbridge Furnishing, in East Kilbride, Scotland, has been placed into liquidation, the DailyRecord report.
She is still yet to receive her money - and the with the insolvency process underway, her chances of ever getting it now look slim.
Married Younas called the Glasgow woman "motee" – Punjabi for "fatty" - and said that he wanted "slim smart girls" in his office.
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She was subjected to sexual advances and derogatory comments by boss Shahzad Younas, the tribunal decided (Daily Record)He also told Aishah to stop DJ'ing at night as it was the "work of prostitutes" and offered to buy her a Mercedes-Benz car, telling her: "I fancy you."
An employment judge ruled last year that Younas and his firm were jointly responsible for the sexual harassment and the £18,984 pay-out.
But Knightsbridge was liquidated at the start of January and Younas is believed to be living in his native Pakistan leaving sheriff officers with limited power to enforce a payout.
The disgraced businessman, who also lists himself as the boss of Knightsbridge Furnishing in Hungary and Juglo in Poland on his LinkedIn, is understood not to have responded to legal enquiries made on Aishah's behalf.
Aishah Zaman may not get the money earned from the settlement (Daily Record)Aishah's legal battle has cost her over £10,000 and she doesn't expect to see a penny of the compensation she is owed.
She told the Record: "It feels like a game he's playing, just dragging it out. I feel like I've been played.
"I'm working day and night and throwing everything I earn at this. I want to see it through but I can't afford it.
"He's running his businesses from Pakistan and Budapest. He can run that from anywhere.
"But I know he's sitting back laughing at me. Basically, I've lost and he's won."
The Record revealed last year how Younas sent Aishah a series of sexist texts, including one bearing a sexually explicit image of female genitalia and telling her "don't break my heart".
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Company Knightsbridge Furnishings, owned by Younas, left, is on the brink of closure (Daily Record)On a trip to the UK to visit his company, he even suggested that she clean his flat and unpack his suitcase, including his underwear, as that was "woman's work".
Aishah left in April 2020 after Younas called her an "idiot" and a "pain in the a***" during an argument at South Lanarkshire premises. He grabbed her by the arm with both hands and yelled: "I am going to f you" - which she took to mean he was threatening to ruin her life. He told her to leave and not return and he later sold the firm.
Employment judge Russell Bradley said of the businessman's behaviour: "Messages suggesting the desire for a relationship relate to her sex, were unwanted and were humiliating."
Younas, who shares pics of himself alongside ex-Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan on social media, later alleged Aishah had embezzled £17,718 from the company, offering to withdraw the claim if she dropped the case.
Mr Bradley labelled it "false" with "no factual basis", adding: "In our view the clear inference is that the false allegations were made because of the protected act [reporting sexist behaviour]."
Aishah added: "People just have this mentality that I must have done something wrong for him to act the way he did but the judgement was clear.
"The system doesn't feel strong enough for this. The tribunal can issue a judgement but they can't enforce it.
"He can sit in any other country and run his companies and he'll carry on the way he is."
Sameer Khan, the last director of Knightsbridge Furnishing, told the Record in October that the company had ceased trading in May 2022. He added: "We are sorry as we are out of business so we are not able to pay any claims."
Younas, who previously denied being aware of the legal proceedings despite filing papers contesting Aishah's case, did not respond to a request for comment. Liquidators for Knightsbridge Furnishing declined to comment, citing the early stages of the administration process.
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