How a boss who had affair fired his wife - by email

But their relationship hit the rocks when he allegedly cheated on her.

And her shock at the breakup of her marriage turned to anger when he informed her he was sacking her from the company - by email.

Yesterday the mother-of-one told of the betrayal she felt at receiving the curt message from the 41-year-old company director.

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She said it had given no reason for her dismissal and simply told her not to bother coming back.

Now a tribunal has found she was unfairly dismissed, saying the alleged affair had caused "fatal damage to the marriage". It awarded her £3,000 in lost earnings.

"I found out about the affair in August and felt desperately hurt - I went on working because I enjoyed my job and didn't want to leave," said 36-year-old Mrs Riley.

"I didn't feel I did anything wrong, although he obviously felt it was too difficult having me around."

The couple launched their international internet-based company Channelmoving.com in Kent in 2003, and it soon had a fleet of vehicles. Mrs Riley, from Ashford, worked as an £18,000-a-year office assistant and accompanied her husband at corporate events, including a champagne lunch with local MP and former Tory leader Michael Howard to recognise the success of their business.

But last summer she claims she found out her husband of nine years had been cheating on her, and she moved out along with their five-year-old daughter.

"We were just a normal couple - we had a daughter and set up the company together," she said. "When I found out about the affair it was a shock - I felt hurt and betrayed."

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According to Mrs Riley, she knuckled down and continued coming to work, but last October the bombshell news dropped in her computer inbox.

After initially not wanting to take action, Mrs Riley, now divorcing her husband and living in a rented cottage, decided to claim for unfair dismissal.

"It was a matter of principle - I had helped run that company and was good at my job," she said. "I have been dignified throughout the whole process and have tried to maintain my calm. But it has been difficult and Berin hasn't made it easy."

Following the hearing, she claimed he sarcastically said: "I hope you're satisfied now" before demanding she returns a Ford Mondeo.

"He claims it was company property, but it's a second-hand car and it's a lifeline for me and my daughter," she said.

"But after he threatened to issue a county court summons, I just told him he's welcome to it. I don't know why he needs it, though - he drives a Nissan Navara 4x4."

She said she had suffered sleepless nights over the dispute. Last night, her husband, who lives in a £250,000 five-bed home in Hythe, Kent, admitted breaching employment procedures by sending the email.

But he denied having an affair and said he sent the email only after she failed to turn up for work. "I admit I didn't follow the correct procedures and should have given a verbal or written warning.

"But she basically didn't turn up for three months. It was damaging the business so I sent an email saying if she doesn't come back to work, she perhaps shouldn't come back.

"Our marriage ran into difficulties about which I don't want to go into detail, but I didn't have an affair."