Barack Obama’s cousin sues Met after colleagues break wind

Marie Auma, outside Central London County Court during hearing of her case against Met Police. Photo by Paul Keogh 07914 583 378

Agencies: Maria Auma, whose aunt is President Obama’s step-mother, is seeking £400,000 in damages after claiming colleagues deliberately tried to humiliate her in the office.

A British cousin of Barack Obama is suing Scotland Yard over claims colleagues made her life a misery by deliberately breaking wind near her desk.

Marie Auma, who related to the US President through her aunt, Kezia Obama, who is his Bracknell, Berkshire-based step-mother, is demanding £400,000 from the Met over claims that she was belittled and humiliated during a two year campaign of harassment.

The 57-year-old, whose civilian police job involved liaising with the victims of crime, alleged she was subjected to a “culture of bullying” which eventually resulted in her suffering a mental breakdown and being forced to retire.

Miss Auma, who attended Mr Obama’s inauguration in 2009, claimed two colleagues would deliberately break wind near her desk at Southwark Police station in a bid to humiliate her and destroy her esteem.Launching a bid for compensation at the Central London County Court, lawyers for Miss Auma said problems had begun in 2007 when she was refused time off to travel to Kenya to visit the graves of her two brothers who had been killed in a car accident.

When she complained about the refusal she alleged that she was branded a trouble maker and was ostracised in the workplace.

Her barrister Lorraine Mensah told Judge Simon Freeland QC that Miss Auma had been the victim of “21st Century bullying”.

She said while few of the individual incidents could be said to be harassment, but together they formed a “culture of bullying” against her.

Miss Auma described a “pack mentality” existing within the police station and this had resulted in one officer and another civilian employee deliberately breaking wind at her desk.

“The passing of wind at her desk in an open plan office is an attempt to belittle her and humiliate her,” Mrs Mensah told the hearing.

Eventually Miss Auma was moved to another unit at Rotherhithe Police Station, but she said the perceptions about her followed and she was again singled out for harassment.

She said she was forced to take inappropriate breaks, which meant it was virtually impossible to meet her targets.

“There was clear evidence before the defendants that she was suffering stress, causing her ill health, and she attributed that to the bullying and harassment that she complained of,” Miss Mensah said.

The court heard that she had to take time off work due to chest pains in the second half of 2008, which she put down to anxiety and stress caused by her situation at work.

After suffering a mental breakdown and being admitted to hospital she never returned to work and was retired on health grounds.

The Metropolitan Police denies liability and the hearing continues.