An MP accuses CITB of a targeted campaign against an employee following an alleged sexual assault

An MP has accused the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) of running a targeted campaign against a former apprenticeship officer who reported that a colleague had sexually assaulted him.

Seamus Logan of Aberdeenshire North and Moray East detailed the case in Parliament during a debate on the use of legal threats to silence reporting on Thursday (November 21).

He told the House of Commons that Jan Cruickshank, a married mother of three, reported the alleged assault to CITB, where she then worked, after it allegedly happened in 2015. She then suffered a nervous breakdown and went on sick leave.

Logan also told the House of Commons that the man she was complaining about had been on gardening leave for a week before returning and “began pushing a false narrative, suggesting that John was falsely accusing him”.

Logan added: “A senior whistleblower at CITB revealed that his legal team had raised significant potential liability if Jan’s case went to court. The whistleblower confirmed that there was a targeted campaign in several media outlets to discredit Jan.

“The CITB improperly used a false narrative to portray Jan as a homewrecker and then initiated a predetermined human resources investigation designed to facilitate her exit from the company. The second whistleblower confirmed that management planned to leave Jan from the company a month before the HR process was completed.”

Logan told the House of Commons that Cruickshank had taken the training institution to an employment tribunal. However, Logan said she was forced to accept a settlement “well below the realistic amount she should have been entitled to” and was asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement.

“She is determined to seek justice so that the alleged attacker is brought to justice and she receives fair compensation. This will allow her and her family to move on,” he added.

“John should not have been the subject of an HR or employment tribunal investigation. Rather, she deserved time off to recover and receive support from the trauma she experienced.”

An SNP representative told MPs that he believed the Police Scotland officer who questioned her about the incident “lacked the necessary training to deal with such a sensitive sexual assault case, resulting in the premature conclusion of the case”.

The MP called on the CITB to publicly apologize to Cruickshank, for the police to consider the way her case was handled, and for Ministry of Justice Minister Heidi Alexander to meet with him to discuss the case.

A CITB spokesman said: “We are aware of the parliamentary debate on this former employee’s historic claim against CITB and appreciate the sensitivity of this matter. Due to the sensitive nature of the settled claim, CITB has nothing further to add at this time.”