‘Sick’ worker caught running cafe

A WORKER who was secretly running a cafe while on long-term sick leave has been fired after Yorkshire council used a surveillance operation.

Special legal powers were used by Bradford Council to set up the surveillance after a council manager found out about the illicit job last March, a report has revealed.

The employee, who had been on sick leave since the previous October, was tracked over a period of time and found to be claiming sick pay.

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The report for the Corporate Governance and Audit Committee said: “The authorisation allowed the employee’s comings and goings to be monitored covertly outside the cafe by an audit investigator.

“Evidence was obtained that the complaint was true and the individual who was the subject of the investigation was dismissed from the council for this serious criminal offence under the Fraud Act 2006.”

Councillor Chris Greaves said: “There is a time and a place for this type of surveillance – it should be the exception rather than the rule.

“But in this particular case I think it was perfectly justified.

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“At one time, going back a few years, the number of times we used covert surveillance was over 100 and there were concerns that the council was snooping,” said Councillor Greaves.

“Spy” video cameras have also been used in offices where thefts of council resources had been alleged.