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A 17 year old sports coach was harassed verbally by her boss who made sexually explicit insults about her hair, her sexual preference, and an array of offensive statements that left the teenager terrified and despondent.

Grace Kinsey told a Sheffield tribunal court that she had been teased and bullied by her employer, Lee Dickens. "I just felt ugly. What he said upset me a lot. I was only 17 at the time."

Mr. Dickens told Ms. Kinsey that she was too soft and needed 'breaking in' during the time she worked for him on school holidays. He inferred that she was a lesbian. Grace Kinsey of Moorgate, Rotherham worked under Mr. Dickens supervision at the Champs Sports Camps, which has contracts with many schools to provide camping activity to children during holiday times. Starting as an assistant coach, she was quickly promoted to coach and was responsible for looking after camper children at Thomas Rotherham College. Ultimately she gave up the job teaching young children at the school camp as she could not face her boss and his harassment. She also avoided friends, skipped courses at college, made lower than average A-levels compared to grades achieved prior to working at the school camp, and grew her hair so no one else would call her a lesbian.

Though Mr. Dickens denied any type of discrimination or bullying, saying that the exchanges were banter which Ms. Kinsey joined in with, Kinsey maintained that his comments had robbed her of self confidence.

During the sexual discrimination hearing the teenager often broke down in tears and stated that her boss's behaviour and talk went far beyond the boundaries of normal conversation in a workplace environment. She also stated that her boss would often make an example of her in front of co-workers and said several times that being only 17 she was not able to respond in a strong, confident manner to deter his continued harassment.

When her mother confronted her teenage daughter's boss, he became abrasive and flippant about the matter and said that the allegations were all a ploy to obtain compensation payout based on false accusations. His superior, Director Darren Maycock, did not thoroughly or properly investigate the matter and has since left the company.

After listening to both sides, the hearing resulted in the panel finding against Dickens, as well as Champs Sports Camps and Champs Camps Ltd. Kinsey was awarded £7,500 for injury to feelings, £1,500 for loss of earnings and £1,500 in aggravated damages. Legal fees and interest will also be paid to Ms. Kinsley, bringing the total claim in excess of £11,000.