By Ahmed Abdelsalam
A sales manager at BTL Industries was dismissed for gross misconduct after sending a voice note to a colleague in which she openly admitted to falsifying expense claims to pay for family meals and personal takeaways, an employment tribunal has heard.
Voice note details systematic fraud
Susannah Bennison, 47, told her colleague, referred to as Emma, that she routinely claimed hundreds of pounds for restaurant outings with relatives and for meals ordered via Deliveroo and Just Eat, which she submitted as customer expenses. In the October 2022 recording, Bennison said she "recompensated" herself when work shifts disrupted her family life and urged her colleague to "act smarter" and be "ruthless" by doing the same.
Disciplinary action and tribunal claims
BTL Industries, the UK division of a Czech medical and aesthetic device manufacturer, dismissed Bennison in August 2023 after the voice note was shared with management. She also faced allegations of sending offensive messages about colleagues. Although her appeal upheld the findings, she was reinstated but chose not to return, stating she could not work for the company after the dismissal.
Bennison subsequently brought claims of unfair dismissal and whistleblowing detriment at Birmingham Employment Tribunal, alleging she was sacked for making disclosures about a colleague's conduct and a non-disclosure agreement. She lost both claims.
Judge calls recording a criminal confession
Employment Judge Christopher Camp ruled that the voice note amounted to "a confession of committing imprisonable criminal offences" and that the overwhelming majority of employers would deem it gross misconduct warranting dismissal. The judge found Bennison's later denial of actual fraud implausible given the detailed nature of the recording.
Bennison was awarded £2,537 for three-and-a-half days of untaken annual leave. The tribunal decision was issued in 2023; this report reflects the published judgment.
