A charity worker injured when she was picked up and dropped by a Cambridge University scientist has lost her £300,000 fight for compensation after a judge ruled a payout could be seen as “health and safety gone mad”.
Sandra Shelbourne, 61, suffered back injuries during a Cancer Research UK Christmas party when she was “manhandled” on the dance floor by Robert Bielik.
She told the High Court the visiting scientist was “inebriated” and “an accident waiting to happen” at the 2012 bash, and sued the charity for not stopping his antics.
Mr Justice Lane said she “deserved sympathy” but while Mr Bielik was “clearly liable” for the incident it would go against common sense for the charity to be blamed.
He said otherwise any works party involving alcohol would require measures such as legal declarations, risk assessments and trained staff, which “as a matter of common sense cannot be right”.
