Did Beefeaters Bully Female Colleague?
First ever female Beefeater was allegedly harassed by colleagues.
LONDON, Nov. 2, 2009 — -- Two yeomen warders at the Tower of London have been suspended while a third is under investigation for allegations of harassment against the first-ever female warder in the Tower's 1,000-year history.
Moira Cameron, who made history in July 2007 when she became London's first female Beefeater or yeoman warder, is the target of the alleged bullying.
A statement from the Tower on Monday confirmed the suspensions. "We take such allegations very seriously and our formal harassment policy makes it clear that this is totally unacceptable," according to the statement. "We believe everyone is entitled to work in an environment free from any form of harassment, a principle that we expect all our staff to value and uphold."
The probe of the charges was launched the weekend of October 24-25 and is expected to continue another two to three weeks.
While the Tower has not confirmed the exact forms of harassment under investigation, several U.K. news sources, including Sky News and the Sun, have reported that Cameron's uniform was vandalized, she received "harassing notes" in her locker, and her entry in the online encyclopedia Wikipedia was tampered with.
Ruth Howlett, a Tower spokesman, told ABC News that these stories were "unfounded," and "come from a source other than the Tower."
"The warders do not have lockers," she stated.
A statement from the Scotland Yard has, however, confirmed that "a 56-year-old man received a caution under the Communications Act 2003 on Tuesday October 20, 2009, following an investigation by officers from Tower Hamlets. The matter related to inappropriate use of the Internet."
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