The proprietor of a renowned Scottish pub has been slapped with an £18,000 bill after unfairly dismissing a white female employee who triumphed in a discrimination lawsuit against him. Ahmed Soliman faced allegations at the Old Toll Bar in Glasgow, one of the city's most historic pubs, where he reportedly told budding actress Sky Sinclair she "liked white people better" and referred to the blonde, blue-eyed duty manager as "Aryan".

At an employment tribunal, it emerged that Mr Soliman had quizzed the 34 year old with "how was Germany?", implying she was "racist or associated with Nazi ideology", which left her feeling targeted.Employment Judge Shona MacLean ruled that Mr Soliman's remarks amounted to "constituted unwanted conduct", concluding that he had racially and sexually discriminated against his staff member.

Judge MacLean declared: "Two comments related to race and one related to sex.", reports the Daily Record.

She observed that the race-related comments were unprovoked and that Mr Soliman seemed to relish the claimant's unease. "Even if that was not the purpose, viewed objectively it was reasonable in my view to have that effect.As the owner, his remarks about the claimant's race and appearance put her in an awkward situation."

During a tribunal in Glasgow, the worker charged Mr Soliman with "violating her dignity" and fostering a "degrading, intimidating, humiliating and offensive environment", leading up to her unjust dismissal from the company without notice or written explanation in April last year.

The tribunal unfolded without Mr Soliman, who was absent due to ill health, and it was revealed he had made a series of inappropriate remarks to his employee.

During the hearing, it emerged that Ms Sinclair had been employed at the Kinning Park pub for about a year when Mr Soliman remarked in 2023: "You look very Aryan with your blue eyes and blond hair". Although Ms Sinclair initially took the comment lightly, she admitted feeling "uncomfortable and unsure how to respond".

Later in the same year, following an incident where Ms Sinclair had purchased coffee for a white colleague, Mr Soliman reportedly quipped: "Is that for me?" Upon learning it wasn't, he retorted: "Oh yeh forgot you like white people better" and then probed: "How was Germany?".

The judgement detailed: "The claimant had no connection with Germany and interpreted the comment, in conjunction with the previous remark, as insinuating that she was racist or had affiliations with Nazi ideology."

In October of that year, Ms Sinclair levelled an accusation against her boss, claiming he made a "threatening" remark to a co-worker in a group chat and mentioned there was often a "tense atmosphere" when he was present.

The tribunal was informed that Mr Soliman responded by saying he was "not blaming staff for quiet periods but he needed to control spending and felt a lack of feedback was insulting and hurtful".

Ms Sinclair recounted that Mr Soliman proceeded to erase a message where she had requested support. When she questioned another manager about the deletion, she was informed it was because she had suggested Mr Soliman appeared threatening.

The judgement stated: "The manager reported that (Mr Soliman) had commented, 'You just get some females like that'.

"The claimant felt anxious about this comment. She thought that (Mr Soliman) did not have a high regard for women who did not agree with him."

Ms Sinclair was excluded from the work group chat and sacked a month later, having been employed there for two years.

Her manager informed her that she was being "dismissed due to poor sales performance" and instructed to "leave immediately".

Judge MacLean stated there was "no evidence of misconduct".

She ordered the firm to pay Ms Sinclair £18,568 in compensation.

She said: "The third comment, relayed to her by a manager, was not race-related but related to sex. It was reasonable for Ms Sinclair to be upset that he had made such remarks about her to other staff.

"The dismissal appeared predetermined to avoid her acquiring statutory rights.

"I concluded the dismissal was for an unfair reason."

Ms Sinclair has featured in numerous short films and recently finished filming a leading role in feature film "ZANNI".

The tribunal heard she obtained temporary employment following her dismissal but had continued to suffer "financial loss'.

The Record has attempted to contact Mr Soliman for comment.