A bar manager thought she had suffered a stroke and only discovered she had been choked by a chef at her Christmas party when she checked the CCTV footage, a tribunal heard.
Molly Phillips, 24, passed out after chef Nathan Webb gripped her neck at the festive party.
Manager Miss Phillips went to hospital to get checked for a suspected stroke because she had no recollection of what happened.
Bar manager Molly Phillips, pictured, was told how she passed out after chef Nathan Webb gripped her neck at a Christmas party
The alleged incident took place at the Cameo Club in Roath, Cardiff (pictured). Miss Phillips said she went back to hospital the following day to get checked out after sending her mother a photo of her sloping mouth
Pictured left, Huw Davies outside Cardiff Magistrates Court on Friday and pictured right, Jason Pearce also outside Cardiff Magistrates Court on Friday. Miss Phillips told company director Jason Pearce about the incident days later
A tribunal was told Miss Phillips checked the CCTV of the Cameo Club in Penylan, Cardiff, days later – and saw herself being strangled.
She told company directors about the attack on New Year’s Day but claims they ‘dismissed’ her complaints.
Miss Phillips has now brought an unfair dismissal claim against Pontcanna Pub Company Ltd – saying she felt unsafe and had to resign.
The 24-year-old said she only checked the CCTV out of ‘curiosity.’
She added: ‘It wasn’t until I watched the CCTV properly that I realised what had happened.
‘Nathan Webb puts his arms around my neck, pulls it tighter with his fists clenched, and despite my trying to push him off me, he doesn’t let go.
‘I then pass out in his arms, he then drops me and I smash my head against a fridge, and he is laughing the whole time.’
Miss Phillips was told her injuries ‘were either caused by lack of oxygen or nerve damage’
The alleged incident took place at the Cameo Club in Roath, Cardiff.
Miss Phillips said she went back to hospital the following day to get checked out after sending her mother a photo of her sloping mouth and had a 17 and a half hour wait in A&E.
In a statement Miss Phillips said: ‘I was checked for a suspected stroke, Bell’s Palsy, and other tests were done but all of these were ruled out.’
She was told her injuries ‘were either caused by lack of oxygen or nerve damage’, and also claims she was left with facial paralysis.
Miss Phillips told company director Jason Pearce about the incident days later.
She claimed he responded by joking with Mr Webb saying: ‘All right buddy? Hear you’ve been choking girls lately’.’
Mr Pearce said during the hearing that he ‘didn’t think it was as serious as it was’ but that he had made the comment.
He said it was a few weeks after the meeting with Miss Phillips at a dinner at the restaurant and had not happened more than once.
In his statement, he said he told Miss Phillips he wanted to speak to Mr Webb but she said she was ‘fine’ and was ‘adamant’ she didn’t want anything done.
‘I was shocked and our conversation finished quickly afterwards,’ Miss Phillips said.
Miss Phillips later spoke to another director Huw Davies.
A tribunal was told Miss Phillips checked the CCTV of the Cameo Club in Penylan, Cardiff, days later – and saw herself being strangled. She told company directors about the attack on New Year’s Day but claims they ‘dismissed’ her complaints
But she told him she did not want anything to happen because she was buying a house – and needed secure employment.
Miss Phillips said: ‘After this one chat the whole incident seemed to be completely forgotten about by everyone, except for me.
‘I was never asked if I was comfortable, how my medical condition was, nothing.’
On March 19 Miss Phillips went to police and Mr Webb was arrested on May 8.
She also told her bosses she was submitting a personal injury claim.
Miss Phillips said: ‘My opinion of Nathan changed and I realised he is a violent, nasty guy and that it was only a matter of time before another incident happened.
‘Around the end of March I was in tears to Huw telling him that I just didn’t feel comfortable in work anymore but I was given the same response over and over, that he couldn’t ‘wave a magic wand and fix everything’.’
Miss Phillips also told the hearing that months later, other alleged behaviour by Mr Webb towards other staff included putting chilli in a staff member’s soup and threatening someone on a night out.
She told her employers she had begun lose faith in their ability ‘to keep her safe in her workplace’.
The employment tribunal hearing in Cardiff Magistrates heard Miss Phillips resigned on May 16.
She said: ‘I had been assaulted by a colleague. When I tried to raise it with my employer they dismissed my complaints out of hand.’
Miss Phillips (pictured) told company director Jason Pearce about the incident days later. She claimed he responded by joking with Mr Webb saying: ‘All right buddy? Hear you’ve been choking girls lately’
In a statement Mr Davies said: ‘At every stage we met with Molly and asked her what she wanted us to do.
‘However, Molly was insistent that she didn’t want us to take any action against Nathan.
‘Everything we did or didn’t do was with Molly’s complete agreement.’
In his statement, Mr Pearce said: ‘I am extremely surprised by Molly’s tribunal claim against the Cameo since, as far as I am concerned, Molly never raised any concern or complaint with me or Huw concerning Nathan or the incident at the party.
‘The only time she notified me of the matter was at our meeting on January 6 when she was insistent that she did not want any action to be taken and that the matter was in effect resolved.
‘I do not see how Molly can complain that no action was taken when she did not want any action to be taken and this was despite the fact I had suggested that I speak to Nathan.’
Mr Webb remains employed as a chef at Cameo Club, the tribunal heard.
Judge Alison Frazer reserved judgement to make her findings.