An ex-cop who helped to snare the Yorkshire Ripper posed as a care chief to silence a whistleblower, a tribunal heard.
Retired Peter Sutcliffe probe veteran Bob Taylor was said to have tried to intimidate the worker by posing as a boss at the Care Quality Commission.
He allegedly warned Karen Maguire off reporting concerns about a home, saying: “There would be consequences.”
An employment court judge blasted Mr Taylor, once dubbed SuperCop, for being “deliberately evasive” and not giving a statement “dealing truthfully” with the incident.
The Leeds tribunal heard Mrs Maguire, 44, took a “threatening” call from him after quitting her job over neglect fears at Charlton Court care home in Pudsey, West Yorkshire.
The court was told Mr Taylor, 71, a self-employed investigator, was enlisted by home boss Pearl Jackson to “frighten off” Mrs Maguire.
He pretended to be from the CQC but Mrs Maguire recognised his voice from fire safety training he had given at the home.
Judge Rita Rogerson ruled against Mrs Jackson, Charlton Court and its owners ADL Plc, saying there had been “highhanded acts” designed to protect the home at any cost.
Mrs Maguire was awarded £24,000 for unfair dismissal, with the tribunal citing a “blatant” bid to silence her.
The mum of two told the Sunday Mirror: “The phone call was terrifying. He was trying to fish for what I had told the CQC about the care home. He got really aggressive.”
Mr Taylor had no comment when approached at his home.
In a statement Mrs Jackson said: “A judgement has been made which we have to accept and focus on our residents.”
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