Baby scan boss suspended after saying 'these Africans tell lies' (original) (raw)

A former senior figure at a private baby scan service has been suspended by a healthcare regulator after making racist comments. Jeanette Clewes, who was clinical lead at the Window to the Womb group, used racist language including "these Africans tell lies" after a Nigerian sonographer had complained about her experiences working in a Swansea clinic.

The sonographer, Tina Dilibe, was forced to vacuum and mop the premises of Window to the Womb in Swansea — despite being employed in a medical role — and was warned her immigration sponsorship would end if she did not do as she was told. Earlier this year a judge found that the Swansea franchise operation's owners, Juliet Luporini and Anthony Woodcock, had racially harassed and discriminated against her. Both felt they had "bought" Mrs Dilibe and that "black Africans 'imported' into the UK were here to work", said the judge.

Ms Clewes was director of ultrasound for the wider Window to the Womb group, which had around 50 clinics across the UK. The employment tribunal — which ended in a £33,611 payout for Mrs Dilibe — heard Ms Clewes had made racist comments while speaking in a conference call with a union rep after Mrs Dilibe's complaints had come to light. Under cross-examination in court Ms Clewes admitted saying: "You have to be careful, these Africans tell lies", and “These Africans all have hygiene problems, it is a real problem for us to deal with.”

Employment Judge Claire Sharp said it was "astonishing" that Ms Clewes repeated the comments in court and it was apparent that she "could see nothing wrong with these views". The judge correctly anticipated that Ms Clewes, a registered sonographer, would be referred to her regulator "to consider whether such views are compatible with registration". A Health and Care Professions tribunal panel met last week and put in place an 18-month interim suspension order against Ms Clewes, who no longer works for Window to the Womb. The order will be reviewed by next April. No further details could be released, said the tribunal service.

Juliet Luporini, pictured during her time as Swansea Business Improvement District chairwoman and co-owner of the city's Kardomah cafe, racially discriminated against a sonographer at Window to the Womb in Swansea

In the employment tribunal it emerged that Mrs Dilibe regularly had to work 12 days out of 14 despite her terms saying she would only be working five days a week. The court heard she was not paid for the extra days. In nine months at the clinic in Swansea's Tawe Business Village Enterprise Park, she was only allowed six days of holiday, all on dates decided by the business. Ms Luporini and Mr Woodcock knew she was alone in the UK and "vulnerable to enable them to bully her".

Judge Sharp found Mrs Dilibe had been victim to "humiliating, offensive and degrading" treatment by colleagues at the Swansea clinic, where she was the only medically qualified staff member. Following WalesOnline's reporting of the case, the Race Council Cymru non-profit called for a boycott of the service over the "utterly reprehensible" racism. A spokesman for the Window to the Womb group said in March: "The court findings are not consistent with our brand ethos." But according to Companies House, both Ms Luporini — a prominent Swansea figure who chaired the city's Business Improvement District from 2009 to 2023 and used to co-own the well-known Kardomah cafe — and Mr Woodcock remain directors of Window to the Womb in Swansea.

A spokeswoman for the group said: “While Juliet Luporini and Tony Woodcock remain owners of the Swansea clinic, they no longer reside in the UK and are not involved in the day-to-day running of the business or its staff. Since the incident, the clinic has restructured and appointed a new management team. It has also engaged a new HR consultancy to ensure robust procedures are in place to prevent recurrence. Recent audits have reported high levels of staff satisfaction at the Swansea clinic, demonstrating that it has moved past this turbulent and regrettable time.”

The Swansea clinic itself has not responded to our questions on the pair's roles. In March, its spokesperson said: "We at the Swansea clinic of Window to the Womb wish to express our deep concern regarding the tribunal’s findings... We are fully cooperating with our corporate headquarters and relevant authorities to review our practices and policies. This includes taking necessary actions regarding the individuals involved in the tribunal’s findings." You can read the full court report on the tribunal findings here.

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