Sergeant loses case over police chief who called him 'numpty'

CALLING someone a ‘numpty’ is not discrimination, an employment judge has ruled.

- Ben Borland

The light-hearted Scottish insult — which usually means silly or foolish — cannot be discriminatory because it does not have any “racial or disability connotations”, a tribunal found.

The term ‘numpty’ dates back to 1733 and the word is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as “a stupid or foolish person; an idiot”.

It is particularly popular in Scotland and was once found to be the nation’s favourite word.

Affectionate

Employment Judge Richard Nicolle made the ruling on the word as he presided over the case of a long-serving Metropolitan Police Sergeant, who sued for discrimination.

Sonny Kalar, who was with the Met for 30 years, said he was offended when Chief Inspector Marlise Davies twice called him ‘numpty’.