The appellant, a school based network support officer, appealed to the Public Service Appeal Board following her dismissal by the respondent for breach of discipline. The appellant was accused of accessing without authorisation, the Departmental emails of her subordinate on the subordinate’s work phone and sending herself one of her subordinate’s confidential emails and falsifying her timesheet to conceal her actions.

An investigation carried out by the respondent prior to the appellant’s dismissal revealed inconsistencies in the appellant’s testimony and evidence, including CCTV footage showing her presence at the school at the time the email was sent. Additionally, the timesheet provided by the applicant to prove that she was not in the building at the time of the incident was found to be fabricated. The Appeal Board considered the evidence, including testimonies from various individuals and the investigation report, finding that the appellant had a history of disciplinary issues. The Appeal Board also found the appellant’s credibility had been further undermined by her dishonesty during the investigation and disciplinary process

Based on the evidence, the Appeal Board found that the complaints against the appellant were substantiated. The Appeal Board concluded that the appellant had sent the inappropriate email and had been dishonest in her attempts to cover up her actions. Accordingly, the Appeal Board found that the appellant had not demonstrated that her dismissal should be overturned and dismissed her appeal.

The decision can be read here.