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Olympics IT chief in N-word row accused of sexist abuse
Matthew Beard, Sports News Correspondent09.11.09
A manager at the Olympic Delivery Authority resigned amid allegations of racist and sexist abuse of colleagues.
Gary Holmes, the quango's £78,000-a-year information technology chief, was accused of calling a black colleague a ****** and sexually harassing an Asian secretary.
Mr Holmes, 37, was allowed to leave with £15,000 in severance pay despite the seriousness of the allegations.
This prompted claims that the ODA was desperate to keep the matter private to avoid damaging the reputation of the project. Mr Holmes has since found a better paid job in IT at the Treasury. He joined the ODA in April 2007 but was unpopular with colleagues because of his "unfortunate manner". He was alleged to have called fellow IT expert Fortune Barnard, 36, who was born in France of African descent, a ******.
Mr Barnard confronted Mr Holmes over the incident which was also witnessed by three white colleagues. Allegations against Mr Holmes began to mount and another colleague started a grievance procedure but because he was a contractor, no action was taken.
Then Mr Barnard's secretary, Anna Begum, claimed that he had been racially and sexually harassing her, including inappropriate touching. The complaint resulted in Mr Holmes's suspension but he resigned in August last year, receiving around £15,000 due under his notice period.
Mr Holmes said he was barred from discussing the matter by an ODA confidentiality agreement. Ms Begum is on sick leave and is in dispute with the ODA over the way it investigated her case.
An ODA spokesman said: "The ODA takes seriously and investigates any allegations of racism or sexual harassment against any member of staff."
