Saleswoman jailed for four years over faked claims

Louise Gallagher has been jailed for four years and eight months after admitting to perverting the course of public justice. Gallagher brought employment tribunal claims against two companies, Bunzl and Essity, alleging sexual assault and fabricating evidence. Her actions resulted in her former employers spending almost £70,000 on legal defences.

Fabricated Evidence and False Witness Claims

During proceedings at Wood Green Crown Court, prosecutor Dominic Hockley detailed how Gallagher made claims against distribution company Bunzl in September 2019. She alleged a colleague sexually assaulted her at Waterloo Station. This claim followed an investigation into Gallagher's fraudulent creation of a hotel receipt. As part of her defence in litigation, Gallagher doctored an email purportedly from TfL, falsely stating that CCTV footage existed. TfL confirmed they had not sent such an email. Gallagher's motive, the prosecution stated, was financial benefit from the litigation.

When Bunzl sought to strike out her claim, Gallagher requested a postponement by claiming she had cancer and required 12 to 18 months of treatment. She provided a sick note, purportedly from a GP at GenesisCare, which signed her off for two years. Gallagher had created this note, despite a real doctor confirming they had never issued it. Although Gallagher had previously suffered from breast cancer, she was not undergoing treatment at the time of her claim. Her case against Bunzl was dismissed in November 2021.

Further False Allegations and Police Involvement

In 2022, Gallagher reported to the Metropolitan Police that she had been sexually assaulted at King's Cross Station while employed by health product supplier Essity. She provided police with contact details for an alleged witness. However, this witness's email was created the day before she contacted the police, and their phone number was a pay-as-you-go number activated nine days after her report. The backup number for the email was Gallagher's own mobile. Police found no evidence that this witness was a real person.

During employment tribunal proceedings against Essity, the company provided proof that no police investigation was ongoing. Gallagher then submitted the email correspondence between the supposed witness and the police to the tribunal. Employment lawyer Kate Kapp stated that Bunzl incurred £31,846.80 in legal fees, while Essity spent £37,791.60, totalling £69,638.40 in legal costs to defend against Gallagher's claims, as reported by MyLondon.

Sentencing and Judge's Comments

Judge Timothy Godfrey told Gallagher that her actions had caused her former employers to incur considerable legal costs and divert time and resources from their businesses. The judge explicitly stated that he made no finding as to whether Gallagher's original sexual assault allegations were true or not. Gallagher was sentenced to 38 months imprisonment for her conduct related to employment tribunals and an additional 18 months, served consecutively, for providing false information to the police. She has previous convictions for theft and fraud, including a fraud by false representation conviction in 2024.

Gallagher's defence counsel, Tulay Hodge, indicated that Gallagher's motive was to substantiate allegations of sexual assaults. Hodge also noted that Gallagher had previously been diagnosed with breast cancer in November 2020 and had since received the all-clear. Her prior offences, committed to financially benefit herself and her daughter, dated back to 2012.