Black woman who sued Heathrow Airport for £1m after being ‘strip-searched’ loses race discrimination claim

A black woman who sued Heathrow Airport for more than £1million after being subjected to a private security search has lost her race discrimination claim.

Veleta Brown, a consultant who used to work as a project manager at Heathrow, claimed she felt “violated” during the incident in October 2022, when security officer Sorien Monfries asked her to step aside for a search after she set off a scanner.

An employment tribunal heard how Brown, who describes herself as black Caribbean, alleged she was “treated as a criminal” during the security check.

But Employment Judge Anna Poynton has dismissed her claims, ruling that the search was “not related” to her race.

As part of her job, Brown was due to meet a contractor in the secure airside area of Heathrow Airport, requiring her to pass through security screening.

The security process involved passing through an archway scanner which functions as both a metal detector and body scanner.

When the scanner identified a “zone of concern”, Brown was asked to step aside for a pat-down search and scanning with a hand-held metal detector.

According to Brown’s evidence, she was “patted down” three times over her clothing by Monfries, which she deemed “excessive”.

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The security officer allegedly “repeatedly patted around the bra area” before informing a colleague she wanted to conduct a private search.

Brown responded by saying: “I’m just not comfortable.”

She also claimed that she was “marched” out of the room with one security guard in front of her and another behind her into a side room.

Brown later alleged a guard stood in front of the door to prevent her from leaving, though Heathrow disputed this, saying it was to stop others entering the room.

The project manager added: “I looked to the left and the Asian girl came through and she had a quick pat-down and was gone – but with me, I was scrutinised and embarrassed.”

Brown said she felt “embarrassed, humiliated, degraded and violated” after the search.

She refused to sign the consent form afterwards, saying she would have declined had she known it was voluntary.

Brown subsequently lodged an official grievance, stating she did not know any other employees who had been “strip searched”.

Her grievance was partially upheld due to flaws in how it was investigated, but she was told there was “no evidence to suggest that the incident raised in October 2022 was an act of direct discrimination”.

Dissatisfied with the outcome of her appeal, Brown resigned with immediate effect in June last year.

She then took the airport to an employment tribunal, initially seeking £1,011,150 in compensation.

The panel ruled there had been “considerable shortcomings” in the airport’s handling of Brown’s complaint, but concluded none of these related to her race.

All claims made by Brown were dismissed.