Lawyer slapped paralegal on the bottom and asked her if it was sexual harassment
A lawyer slapped a paralegal on the bottom and asked her if it was sexual harassment, a tribunal heard.
Solicitor Musharaf Asharaf also referred to the woman’s breasts as “two mountains on your chest” at a work Christmas party and deliberately bumped into her from behind.
The “deliberate, calculated and repeated” behaviour of the 58-year-old left his victim fearing for her job and worried about “rocking the boat” at the start of her career, a disciplinary committee was told.
When she complained, he accused her of “making his life hell” through false accusations because she was “disgruntled”.
However, his denials were rejected by the panel who found him guilty of misconduct and barred him from the profession for a year.
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal hearing was told Mr Asharaf had been a solicitor for almost 25 years and worked as a lawyer and office manager at SPG Law in Liverpool.
The panel heard how, on November 29 2018, his victim, identified only as Person A, was walking in a corridor at work when she was approached by Mr Asharaf who “turned and slapped her” on the bottom.
Person A responded to this by asking Mr Asharaf “What have you just done?”, to which Mr Asharaf replied by saying “is that sexual harassment?”, the hearing was told.
Person A was “shocked” by the conduct but didn’t report it at the time as she was “financially vulnerable” and “fearful of losing her job”. However, she did text two work colleagues: “Jav just smacked my bum!!!”.
On December 13 2018 at the firm’s Christmas party at a hotel, Person A was talking to Mr Asharaf alongside two other colleagues when he made a comment about her breasts, referring to them as ‘two mountains on your chest’,” which made her feel embarrassed and uncomfortable.
In a witness statement, Mr Asharaf claimed he was “under extreme pressure to meet targets” and he was “extremely stressed” at the time of his actions.
The tribunal ruled that Mr Asharaf’s behaviour was sexually motivated.
Mr Asharaf, who has since moved in with his mother and now works as a property consultant, must also pay £17,500 in costs.
