Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Sexual harassmentLegal sectorLatest NewsRace discriminationSex discrimination

Senior solicitor groped his secretary and told racist jokes

by Adam McCulloch 23 Oct 2020
by Adam McCulloch 23 Oct 2020 Photo: Shutterstock
Photo: Shutterstock

A solicitor who groped his secretary, told racist jokes and ran through the offices of his employer with a pretend Ku Klux Klan hood has been found guilty of sexual harassment and racist behaviour. 

Samuel Maurice Charkham, 68, who was a partner at Simkins – Sir Cliff Richard’s law firm – faces a bill of more than £50,000: a fine of £30,000 and £21,000 in costs.

He qualified as a solicitor 43 years ago.

The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal heard that Charkham repeatedly touched a female colleague’s bottom and had once run around the Bloomsbury offices of Simkins calling the woman’s name and shouting “I’ve joined the KKK” while wearing a white A4 envelope on his head.

Sexual harassment

Sexual harassment in a pandemic: why staff are more vulnerable

EHRC issues new guidance on dealing with sexual harassment

Sexual harassment at work: 10 myths busted

Sexual harassment: How HR can help develop a culture of respect

#MeToo at two: how far have we come?

At a Christmas work party in 2016 Charkham told a racist joke in front of the woman, who is black, the tribunal heard. Evidence was also accepted that he habitually squeezed the secretary’s buttocks.

An accounts manager at the firm also said she had complained when Charkham touched her bottom in 2018.

The tribunal was also told that Charkham made antisemitic jokes, despite being Jewish himself.

Charkham denied ever having groped anybody and insisted to the tribunal that he was not a racist but accepted his comments were in bad taste. He admitted to having an “old fashioned sense of humour”.

His representative, Jonathan Goodwin, praised Charkham’s his “professionalism and capacity to deal with people” and read out a list of positive character references.

Goodwin said: “This is a person of integrity who is trustworthy and of good character. The references individually and collectively are positive and compelling and describe the real person sitting before you.” The misconduct finding did not affect his ability to practise, he added.

But head of the panel Jane Martineau, ordering the fine and costs against Charkham, said: “We recommend that he undertakes training in equality, diversity and inclusion.”

The tribunal said solicitors should “lead by example” and that Charkham’s failures in this respect were “very serious and reflected in the sanction”.

Staff were said to have grown accustomed to his racist and sexist behaviour. His secretary told the tribunal that Charkham had groped her at least 18 times over the course of four years. “It happened as frequently as he wanted it to,” she said.

She said she had been sitting at her desk preparing to take dictation from another lawyer when Charkham appeared running through the office with a white A4 envelope on his head laughing, joking saying he has joined the Ku Klux Klan. “I was shocked that this had happened,” she added.

In a statement, Simkins said that Charkham had left the firm more than two years ago and that it had reported the allegations against him to the regulator.

The defendant had since worked for West End law firm Portner Law. A partner at the firm, Ben Portner, told The Times newspaper that the firm had removed the lawyer as a consultant as soon as it found out about the allegations concerning his conduct before joining.

The full reasons for the tribunal’s judgment will be published in December.

 

HR Director opportunities on Personnel Today

Browse more HR director jobs

Adam McCulloch
Adam McCulloch

Adam McCulloch is a freelance writer and production editor who has worked in sectors including travel (The Guardian), aviation (Flight International), agriculture (Farmers' Weekly), music (Jazzwise), theatre (The Stage) and social work (Community Care). He also works for a national newspaper and is the author of KentWalksNearLondon

previous post
Has Sunak’s latest Job Support Scheme quelled fears for tiers?
next post
Senior partner criticises high pay for new lawyers

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

You may also like

Sue Gray findings: Party culture during lockdowns approved...

25 May 2022

Employers lack data to make IR35 worker status...

25 May 2022

Biggest national rail strike threatens summer

25 May 2022

Six in 10 women of colour ‘hide identity’...

25 May 2022

Maternity leave: Cost of living crisis highlights need...

25 May 2022

Civil servants move closer to national strike action

25 May 2022

Top 10 metrics HR leaders are using today...

25 May 2022

Employees resigning in 2022: Survey shows ‘great resignation’...

24 May 2022

Tube strike on 6 June to see 4,000...

24 May 2022

Navigating the widening “Skills Confidence Gap” in 2022,...

24 May 2022
  • The Search for Talent: Six Major Employer Pitfalls PROMOTED | The Great Resignation continues unabated...Read more
  • Navigating the widening “Skills Confidence Gap” in 2022, and beyond PROMOTED | Cornerstone OnDemand conducted a global study...Read more
  • Apprenticeships are the solution to your recruitment problems PROMOTED | Apprenticeships have the pulling power...Read more
  • What it really means to be mentally fit PROMOTED | What is mental fitness...Read more
  • How music can help to ease anxiety at work PROMOTED | A lot has happened since March 2020, hasn’t it?...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2022

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2022 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+