A London-based banker, Damilare Ajao, has been sentenced to 20 months in prison for making false claims that his female boss sexually harassed him after he wore a string vest to work.

Ajao, who worked with Commerzbank in the City of London, was found guilty of serious contempt of court after the High Court discovered he fabricated sexual assault and harassment allegations against his manager, identified only as Ms Q.

The former banker alleged that Ms Q made flirtatious remarks about his outfit, telling him she could see his nipples through his shirt and even tried to touch his Gucci belt buckle in the office canteen. He also claimed she confessed, “I fancy you,” and that her attitude changed after he rejected her supposed advances.

However, in 2024, an Employment Tribunal headed by Judge Anthony Snelson dismissed his claims as “pure invention,” ruling that the allegations were false and maliciously made up to damage Ms Q’s professional reputation.

The case later moved to the High Court, where Justice Martin Spencer said Ajao’s conduct amounted to a “deliberate and wicked assault” on his former manager’s integrity.

“There wasn’t a shred of truth in any of the allegations,” Justice Spencer said. “Your lies were deliberate, perpetuated over time, and represented an attempt to deceive the court into awarding you substantial damages.”

The court also heard that Ajao continued to maintain his innocence, insisting that it was merely his “perception” that he was sexually harassed. But the judge rejected that defence, stating that Ajao’s evidence was “riddled with inconsistencies and impossibilities.”

Ajao, a separated father of two from Medway, Kent, was ordered to pay £150,000 in legal costs to the bank. The court was told that he has since lost his career in finance, relies on Universal Credit, and lives alone after the collapse of his marriage.

Meanwhile, Ms Q described her experience as “insulting and painful,” revealing that the ordeal left her unable to sleep without medication.

Justice Spencer said the impact on her was “predictably serious,” noting that Ajao’s lies exploited her grief over a family bereavement at the time.

“The most significant fact,” the judge said, “is that appropriate punishment can only be achieved by immediate custody.”

Ajao will serve eight months before being eligible for early release on licence.

Source; PM News